MILPITAS POLICE TAKING BACK UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
OCTOBER 27th, 2018, SATURDAY – 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.
On Saturday, October 27th, 2018, from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M., the Milpitas Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its 16th 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 the Milpitas Police Department at 1275 N. Milpitas Blvd. in Milpitas. The Milpitas Police Department cannot accept needles or sharps, and can only accept pills, patches, and liquids. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
In April 2018, residents turned in over 231 pounds of unwanted prescription and over the counter drugs to the Milpitas Police Department. Americans turned in 474 tons (over 949,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at over 5,800 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 15 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 9.9 million pounds—about 4,900 tons—of prescription drugs.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets 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 about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 27th Take Back event, go to the DEA Diversion Control Division website: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/
Press Release By: Sergeant Joseph Heylen #253
Date/Time: October 5, 2018, 8:00 A.M.
