Dispose of Old Prescriptions and Over the Counter Medicines Saturday

Chances are you've got some old medicines in your cabinet. They may be old prescriptions you never finished or, expired over the counter medicines. You've probably heard that you shouldn't just throw them in the trash or flush them down the toilet so, how do you safely get rid of them? With the Victoria County Sheriff's Office's Medication Take Back Event.

On Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Victoria County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will again give the public the opportunity to prevent medication abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription and over-the-counter drugs.  Bring your pills for disposal to The Sheriff’s Office at 101 N. Glass St.  (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills, powders or patches.)  There will be a convenient drive-up, drop-off location on both sides of Glass street, so you do not even need to get out.  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last September, Americans turned in over 350 tons (over 702,000 pounds) of drugs at over 5,000 collection sites nation-wide. When those results are combined with what was collected in previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 5.5 million pounds—more than 2,750 tons unused, unwanted medication.

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 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 local disposal of prescription and over-the-counter drugs on April 30, contact Lt. Thomas Eisman at 361-574-8026.