Date: April 21, 2022
22nd NATIONWIDE PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE-BACK DAY
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will give the public its 22nd opportunity in over 11 years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused, or unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal on Saturday, April 30, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to any one of the below-listed collection sites. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Last October, the public turned in 744,082 pounds (4,372 tons) of potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for disposal at close to 4,982 collection sites across the country. This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the fall of 2010 to 15,268,473 pounds or 7,634 tons.
Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue, leading to potential accidental poisoning, misuse, and overdose. Proper disposal of unused drugs saves lives and protects the environment. 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 U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that most abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. Also, 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. “Educating the public on the proper disposal of unused medicines has led to over 4,372 tons of prescription drugs being turned in last October. The success of this program is evident; I believe residents are aware of this service and plan for it,” said Sheriff Shannon Dicus.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department will have nine (9) stations participating in the collection of these unused prescription medications. They will be open on Saturday, April 30th, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and no appointment is necessary. The participating sites are listed below:
Apple Valley Police Department
14931 Dale Evans Parkway, Apple Valley
Jackie Alban - 760-240-7428
Barstow Sheriff’s Station
225 East Mountain View, Barstow
Socorro Cuevas - 760-256-4838
Big Bear Sheriff’s Station
477 Summit Boulevard, Big Bear Lake
Tiffany Swantek - 909-866-0100
Central Station
655 East Third Street, San Bernardino
909-387-3545
Chino Hills Police Department
14077 Peyton Drive, Chino Hills
Sgt. Brian Lopez - 909-364-2000
Highland Police Department
26985 Baseline Avenue, Highland
909-425-9793
Rancho Cucamonga Police Department
10510 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga
Sharnika Freeman - 909-774-2686
Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Station
26010 Highway 189, Twin Peaks
Lyndsi Solomon - 909-336-0600
Victorville Police Department
14200 Amargosa Road, Victorville
Tricia Blake - 760-241-2275
We encourage every citizen to look in their homes for any old, unused prescription medication and bring them to one of the listed collection sites for disposal. For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 30th Take-Back Day event, go to https://www.dea.gov/ and click on DEA National RX Take-Back.
Any public inquiries can be made to 1-800-882-9539 or, contact the Sheriff’s Public Affairs Division at 909-387-3700.
Public Affairs Division
909-387-3700
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff-Coroner
San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department
