Drug Take-Back Day Set for October 22 at Clarion Borough Police Department

Scott Shindledecker

Scott Shindledecker

Published October 14, 2016 4:29 am
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CLARION, Pa. (EYT)  — National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is set for Saturday, October 22.

The Clarion Borough Police Department, which has drop-off boxes for prescription medications, will be accepting medications from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

“Sites will accept tablets, capsules, and all other solid dosage forms of unwanted medication,” Clarion Police Chief Mark Hall said. “Personal information may be blacked out on prescription bottles, or medications may be emptied from the bottles into the bins provided at the events. DEA has collected a total of 2.8 million pounds of unwanted medication for safe and secure disposal during the previous six take-back days combined.”

“Given the role prescription medications play in adolescent accidental and intentional poisonings and death, reducing the number of prescription medications in private homes could reduce the number of poisonings in children seen annually,” Hall said.

Take-Back Day is a national initiative, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), aimed at encouraging the public to dispose of expired, unused, or unwanted prescription drugs that are prone to abuse and theft.

Pennsylvanians can turn in unwanted, expired, and unused prescription drugs any day of the year. Visit the Department of Drug and Alcohol’s Drug Take-back website here to find a location near you.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, secure, and environmentally responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse and trafficking of medications.

This is important because the non-medical use of controlled substance (CS) medications is at an all-time high, with 6.8 million Americans reporting having abused prescription drugs in 2012, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) released in 2013.

That same study revealed more than 54 percent of people who abuse prescription pain relievers got them through friends or relatives, a statistic that includes raiding the family medicine cabinet.

“It helps protect the environment and keep drug reside out of water supply and to keep unused meds out of the hands of people.” said Betsy Springer, RPh at Med-Fast Pharmacy “People should take advantage of this free disposal service.”

Last September, Americans turned in 350 tons (over 702,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at more than 5,000 sites operated by the DEA and more than 3,800 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 10 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 5.5 million pounds—more than 2,750 tons—of pills.

The Clarion Borough Police Department is located at 1400 East Main Street, Clarion, Pa.

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