'Drug Take Back Day' returns with area drop-off locations
4/20/2011Area residents can dispose of unused pharmaceuticals during the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30.
Unused, unwanted, or expired medications can be disposed at:
●Monclova fire department, 4395 Albon Rd.
●Waterville fire department, 751 Waterville-Monclova Rd.
●Whitehouse fire department, 10550 Waterville St.
●Springfield Township fire department, 7145 Garden Rd.
●Ottawa Hills Police Department, 2125 Richards Rd.
●Sylvania Police Department, 6635 Maplewood Ave.
●Maumee Police Department, 109 East Dudley.
The local effort is coordinated in partnership with those fire departments and law enforcement departments of Waterville, Waterville Township, and Whitehouse; the Lucas County sheriff's office, and Awake, the Anthony Wayne Community Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Community.
Collection sites will accept over-the-counter, prescription, and veterinary medications in pill form, and will accept vitamins in pill form.
Collection sites will not accept ointments, syringes, liquids, lotions, or inhalers.
The National Take Back Initiative addresses a major public safety and health issue.
More than 7 million Americans abuse prescription drugs; each day about 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time, and studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, and from the home medicine cabinet, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency's Office of Diversion Control Web site.
In an effort to address the problem, the Drug Enforcement Agency, in conjunction with state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States, conducted the first ever National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in September.
The purpose was to provide a venue for disposing of unwanted and unused prescription drugs.
The effort removed potentially dangerous prescription drugs, particularly controlled substances, from medicine cabinets across the country.
About 3,000 state and local law enforcement agencies participated and 121 tons of pills were turned in that day.
Because of the success of the first event, the DEA scheduled the second National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.