On Saturday, Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the City of Carlsbad Police Department will be participating in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
Take-back days give the public an opportunity to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications.
Bring your medications for disposal to Scripps Coastal Medical Center located at 2176 Salk Ave. in Carlsbad. The service is free and anonymous; no questions asked.
According to the DEA, 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 US 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.
At events like this, Americans have turned in over 300 tons of prescription drugs at over 5,000 sites. In the previous nine Take-back events nationwide from 2010-2014, 4,823,251 pounds, or 2,411 tons of drugs were collected and disposed of safely.
If residents cannot attend the event, a drug drop box is located in the lobby of the Safety Center located at 2560 Orion Way. The box is available Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information on the box can be found here www.carlsbadca.gov/police.
For additional information regarding this event, please visit the Drug Enforcement Administration website at www.dea.gov.
Police media contact
Jodee Sasway, Public Information Officer at 760-931-2105 or jodee.sasway@carlsbadca.gov
