Take-Back Day helps prevent abuse of prescription drugs

On Saturday, local law enforcement will team up with the Drug Enforcement Administration to keep prescription drugs out of the wrong hands.

National Prescriptions Take-Back Day gives people the chance to safely dispose of their expired, unused and unwanted medications, while keeping the pills out of the hands of criminals and children.

The DEA says unused drugs can easily be misused and abused. They can lead to poisoning and accidental overdoses. Studies show the majority of abused prescriptions come from family and friends. Throwing drugs away, or flushing them down the toilet, can pose safety and health hazards. Take-Back Days allow people to safely dispose of their unwanted medications.

In Yuma, you can take your unwanted prescriptions to the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office’s Foothills Substation between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. They cannot accept liquids or needles, only pills or patches.

You can also drop-off prescriptions to the Fry’s on 24th Street in Yuma, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Local law enforcement officers will be present and will accept unused and expired pills, liquids, gels and patches. No medications will be accepted inside the store.

Imperial County will have multiple drop-off locations. For the first time, all will accept vaping devices and cartridges. Drop-off sites include:

United States Post Office – 401 Main Street, Brawley
United States Border Patrol – 211 W. Aten Road, Imperial
Starbucks – 2033 N. Imperial Avenue, El Centro
Food 4 Less – 109 W. Birch Street, Calexico

Last April, more than 4,900 federal, state, and local law enforcement collected more than 468-tons of unused, expired, or unwanted medications at more than 6,500 locations across the U.S. Overall, the DEA took in nearly 12-million pounds of prescriptions during its 17 previous Take-Back events.

KYMA 2019