Breckenridge Texan

BPD joins DEA for Drug Take Back event on Saturday, Oct. 26

BPD joins DEA for Drug Take Back event on Saturday, Oct. 26
October 24
07:37 2019

On Saturday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Breckenridge Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by getting rid of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

Anyone can take their pills or patches for disposal to the Breckenridge Walmart at 3800 W. Walker on Saturday and turn over their unused drugs to the Breckenridge Police Department. They cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last fall Americans turned in nearly 469 tons (more than 937,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at nearly 6,300 sites operated by the DEA and almost 5,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 17 previous Take Back events, the DEA and its partners have taken in more than 11.8 million pounds — approximately 5,900 tons — of pills. Since 2017 the Breckenridge Police Department has taken in 259 pounds of pills.

The initiative addresses a 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 United States are high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to the drugs.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet. Additionally, 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 about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Oct. 26 Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com or contact Breckenridge Police Lieutenant Bacel Cantrell at the Breckenridge Police Department, 254-559-2211.

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