Salina Post
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), along with law enforcement agencies nationwide safely disposed and removed 571,054 pounds of unneeded/expired medications at 4,317 collection sites on October 25th, during the 29th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
The Saline County Sheriff's Office participated in the national event by collecting and safely disposing of tablets, capsules, patches and other solid forms of prescription drugs that are unneeded, unwanted or expired at various locations in Salina.
“Take Back Day not only provides community members with a safe place to dispose of unneeded prescription medications, but it also serves as a conversation starter for families,” DEA St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “We encourage you to use this opportunity to open dialogue with your friends and family about the consequences that can come from prescription misuse and abuse.”
Since its inception in 2010, more than 20 million pounds of medication have been collected at DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The removal of these medications from homes nationwide helps prevent prescription drug misuse and reduces the potential for accidental overdoses and poisonings.
For those unable to participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, there are nearly 16,500 pharmacies, hospitals and businesses, in addition to numerous police departments, that offer safe medication disposal year-round. For information on permanent drop-off locations, please visit DEA’s Every Day is Take Back Day website.
Complete results for DEA’s fall National Prescription Drug Take Back Day are available at www.dea.gov/TakeBackDay.