Prescription drug take back day set April 29
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, April 29. The Drug Enforcement Agency will be conducting its 13th take-back day, which focuses on removing potentially dangerous drugs from homes and provides an opportunity for the public to surrender expired, unwanted or unused pharmaceuticals and other medications to law enforcement officers for proper disposal.
Safe disposal of expired and unused prescription and over-the-counter medications protects groundwater, reduces the risk of addiction, keeps prescription medications out of the hands of people who may abuse them, and helps prevent drug overdoses. Of drug overdoses in Delaware, up to 80 percent may involve one or more prescription drugs. In 2016, 308 people died from overdoses in Delaware, compared with 228 in 2015 and 222 in 2014. Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control reported 47,055 people died from drug overdoses in 2014, or 1.5 times the number killed in car crashes. Since 2010, Delaware has collected 65,745 pounds of expired and unused medicines through its Drug Take-Back Day events.
Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. Americans are also advised that the typical methods for disposing of unused medicines - flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash - both pose potential safety and health hazards.
According to the 2013 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 6.5 million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs. According to the Partnership for a Drug Free America, approximately 2,500 teens use prescription drugs daily to get high for the first time.
Participating locations in Rehoboth include Rehoboth Beach Police Department, 229 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth, and Beebe Medical Center, 18947 John J. Williams Highway. Lewes locations include Lewes Board of Public Works, 129 Schley Ave.; Delaware State Police Troop 7, 18006 Coastal Highway; Lewes Ferry Terminal at 43 Cape Henlopen Drive; and Walgreens, 17239 Five Points Square (permanent collection site). Milton Police Department at 101 Federal St. is a participating drop-off site.
To find collection sites in any area, go to www.dea.gov, click on the drug disposal icon, and enter a ZIP code. The database will provide the location of the nearest registered collection site. For more details about Delaware's Drug Take-Back Day, call 800-882-9539.
