Monday, April 14, 2014

DEA Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on April 26, 2014


by Cathy Lotzer, Board Member-The Groundwater Foundation
 
 
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is once again offering residents a chance to get rid of their unwanted/expired medications that have been piling up in their homes.  This is the eighth (8th) National Prescription Drug-Take Back Day.

On this day, collection sites throughout the country will be accepting unneeded prescription drugs, including controlled substances, for safe and legal disposal.  The DEA coordinates this program with state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, which must be present to accept controlled substances.

These Take-Back Days have been hugely successful, collecting more than 3 million pounds (1,733 tons) of prescription medications since 2010.  Properly removing these medicines from homes helps protect our communities by keeping these meds out of our water supply, and reducing accidental poising and prescription drug abuse.

Be sure to check your local community for temporary or permanent drop-off locations!

For more information on “What to do with unused medications” visit http://www.awarerx.org/get-informed/find-disposal-information.


Groundwater Guardians in Marshfield, WI have been holding these collections since May of 2006.  Their Rx Round-Up program has collected and safely disposed of over 6,000 pounds of pharmaceuticals.

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