National Drug Take Back Day

8/31/2012

KAISER PERMANENTE, WEST COVINA POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND DEA
TEAM UP FOR NATIONAL DRUG TAKE BACK DAY

The West Covina Police Department, Kaiser Permanente, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are teaming up for the National Drug Take Back Day on September 29, 2012, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event allows the public an opportunity to safely dispose of expired, unused, and unwanted medications. The collection will take place at the Kaiser Permanente West Covina Medical Offices located at 1249 S. Sunset Avenue, West Covina. Items that will be accepted include prescription and over-the-counter medications. Items that will not be accepted include used syringes/lancets and household hazardous waste such as paint, oil, and batteries.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that waste away 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.

Last April, Americans turned in 552,161 pounds—276 tons—of prescription drugs at over 5,600 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,300 state and local law enforcement partners. In its four previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 1.5 million pounds—nearly 775 tons—of pills. “We are very pleased to support this cooperative effort with Kaiser Permanente and the DEA,” said Police Chief Frank Wills. “This important event gives community members the opportunity to safely dispose of their unwanted or expired medications in a safe manner.”