Full Notification

Mercersburg Mayor James C. ZEGER has announced that the Mercersburg Police Department in coordination and partnership with the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration will be participating in second nationwide prescription drug “Take-Back” initiative that seeks to prevent increased pill abuse and theft. The Mercersburg Police Department will collect potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction. The unwanted prescription drugs can be turned over to the Mercersburg Officer at the marked patrol vehicle in the parking lot of Modnur’s Pharmacy, 52 Keefer Drive, Mercersburg, PA, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Saturday, April 30, 2011. The prescriptions will be turned over to the Federal Drug Enforcement Agent. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public issue. Many Americans are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are increasing at alarming rates, 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, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potential safety and health hazards.

With this National Prescription Drug Take-Back campaign, we are aggressively reaching out to individuals to encourage them to rid their households of unused prescription drugs that pose a safety hazard and can contribute to prescription drug abuse. The Mercersburg Police Department is committed to doing everything we can to make our community safer, and this initiative represents one front in our efforts.

Prescription drug abuse is the Nation’s fastest-growing drug problem, and take-back events like this one are an indispensable tool for reducing the threat that the diversion and abuse of these drugs pose to public health.

Collection sites in every local community can be found by going to http://www.dea.gov . This site will be continuously updated with new take-back locations. The site in Mercersburg will be the parking lot of Modnur’s Pharmacy.

Mayor ZEGER urges all residents to take advantage of this program to discard expired, unused, and unwanted prescription and non-prescription drugs.