On Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Drug Enforcement Administration, in partnership with local law enforcement agencies and the Capital Area Public Health Network, will give the public its ninth opportunity in four years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs as part of the Prescription Drug Takeback program. Please visit dea.gov to find a collection site near you. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Concord residents can take part by bringing items to the Concord Police Department, 35 Green St.
Last April, N.H. citizens turned in over 6,600 pounds of prescription drugs at 84 sites across the state.
When those results are combined nationally with what was collected in its eight previous Take Back events, the DEA and its partners have taken in over 4.1 million pounds – more than 2,100 tons – of pills.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to persion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. and N.H. 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.
The Capital Area Public Health Network, an initiative of Granite United Way, works to promote, protect, and improve the health and well-being of communities within the Capital Area of N.H., with a key focus on the prevention of substance misuse among youth. For more information, visit capitalareaphn.org.
