The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office and the Hollister Police Department are partnering with the Drug Enforcement Administration to host a Drug Take Back event April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a statement from police.
According to the announcement:
This is the sixth opportunity in three years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
Residents can bring medications for disposal to the Hollister Target parking lot, 1790 Airline Hwy. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Last September, Americans turned in 244 tons of prescription drugs at more than 5,200 sites. The collaboration between the Hollister Police Department and the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office collected more than 276 pounds of prescription drugs. In its five previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in more than 2 million pounds – over a thousand tons – of pills.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue, according to a press release from the police department. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines – flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash – both pose potential safety and health hazards.
Until new regulations are in place, local law enforcement agencies like San Benito County Sheriff’s Department and the Hollister Police Department and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few month
