Martinez, California– On Saturday, October 26, 2013, from 10 AM to 2 PM, the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are teaming up to give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your medications for disposal to one of the following locations:
- Office of the Sheriff Muir Station, 1980 Muir Road, Martinez, CA (Field Operations Building)
- Office of the Sheriff Bay Station, 5555 Giant Highway, Richmond, CA (West County Detention Facility)
- Danville Police Department, 510 La Gonda Way, Danville, CA
- Lafayette Police Department, 3675 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Suite 375, Lafayette, CA
- Oakley Police Department, 3231 Main Street, Oakley, CA
- Orinda Police Department, 22 Orinda Way, Orinda, CA
- Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (lobby), 2500 Alhambra Ave., Martinez, CA
The service is free and anonymous, no questions will be asked.
In April this year, 371 tons of prescription medications were collected from the public at nearly six thousand locations manned by over 4,300 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies that partnered with the DEA for this event. When added to the collections from DEA’s previous five Take- Back events, more than 2.8 million pounds (1,409 tons) of prescription medications have been removed from circulation.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish at home 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 on the Take Back program, visit: www.dea.gov
