National DEA Drug Takeback Day
Oct. 8—RUSHVILLE — On Saturday, Oct. 23, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is sponsoring the 21st nationwide "Prescription Drug Take Back" initiative. The "Take Back" initiative seeks to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft through proper disposal of prescription drugs.
Collection sites will be set up nationwide for expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs which will be properly disposed of without threat to the environment.
Rush Memorial Hospital will be a collection site. The collection will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the 13th Street Parking Lot.
The Rush County Sheriff's Department has a Drop Box in the lobby (131 E. 1st Street) that is available year round for unused or unwanted medication.
This program is for liquid and pill medications. Vaping pens without batteries and vaping cartridges will also be taken. Needles, new or used, will not be accepted for disposal. This service is free and anonymous with no questions asked.
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—pose both potential safety and health hazards.
The Drug Take Back events are the safe, popular and responsible way for the public to legally dispose of prescription drugs with no questions asked.
-Information provided.
Contact Aaron Kirchoff at aaron.kirchoff@greensburgdailynews.com
