25 Sep National Drug Take Back Day 2015

Local police departments and the Drug Enforcement Administration will participate in National Drug Take Back Day on September 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will give the public the opportunity to prevent prescription drug abuse by properly disposing of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. The service is free and anonymous.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. In addition, the 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. Prescription drugs should be taken to a local police station or pharmacy to be properly disposed of.

Facts about prescription drug use:

• Prescription drug abuse is the second most prevalent illicit drug problem in the U.S.
  • 60% of teens get prescription drugs from a friend or relative
  • 62% of teens say it’s easy to get prescription drugs from parent’s medicine cabinets
  • The United states is 5% of the world’s population, yet it consumes 75% of the world’s prescription drugs
  • Approximately 7.6 million people, aged 12 or older, are current nonmedical users of prescription drugs

In Tyler, drop off sites are at the CVS at 5th and Broadway, the UT Tyler Police Department and the UT Health Science Center off Highway 271. The full list of collection sites can be found at dea.gov.