Lincoln Police Department to host
"Drug Take Back Day" Saturday October 22nd
Offers an opportunity to safely dispose of
prescription products no longer in use
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[October 14, 2016]
LINCOLN
- On Saturday, October 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Lincoln Police
Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give
the public its 12th opportunity in six years to prevent pill abuse
and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired,
unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
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Bring your pills for disposal to the Logan County Safety Complex
at 911 Pekin St, Lincoln, IL. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or
needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and
anonymous, no questions asked.
Last April, Americans turned in 447 tons (over 893,000 pounds) of
prescription drugs at almost 5,400 sites operated by the DEA and
more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners.
Overall, in its 11 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners
have taken in over 6.4 million pounds—about 3,200 tons—of pills.
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This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.
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.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the
October 22 Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Diversion website.
[Paul Adams, Chief of Police] |