IOnce again, The Santa Clara Police Department will join with the Drug Enforcement Agency and offer the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Members of the community are invited to drop off medications for disposal at the designated location outside the Santa Clara Police Department on Saturday, September 29th. This service is free and anonymous.
Last April, Americans disposed of 552,000 pounds (276 tons) of prescription drugs at 5,659 sites operated by the DEA and state and local law enforcement partners, including the Santa Clara Police Department.
This campaign addresses vital public health and safety issues. Medicines that languish in homes are 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. Too often abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from medicine cabinets inside a person’s home. In addition, disposing unused medicines by flushing them down the toilet or throwing them into the trash pose potential safety and health hazards.
Congressional passage of the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act allows for disposal of controlled substance medications by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances. Additional information is available online at www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback.