Prescription Drug ‘Take-Back’ Campaign Hits Home April 30

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has joined the drive to rid the nation’s homes of unused and expired prescription medications that too often fall into the wrong hands for the wrong purposes.

That the widespread misuse of prescription drugs has become an issue of paramount concern is not lost on the residents of Greater Brandon, who have been kept abreast of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s  crackdown on illegal pill mills.

In the midst of the ongoing “Operation Pain Reliever” crackdown, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office on April 30 will sponsor at the Sweetbay Supermarket in Valrico the collection of unused or expired prescription medications from residents.

State Attorney General Pam Bondi will be in attendance at 10 a.m. to speak about the importance of this initiative and the dangers of keeping prescription drugs at home and unchecked.

"Often the family medicine cabinet is where the prescription drug abuse problem begins,” Bondi said in a statement. “By participating in this national event, parents and families can help protect their loved ones by providing a safer home environment.”

The Sweetbay Supermarket in Valrico is one of four collection centers sponsored by both the sheriff’s office and the Tampa Police Department (see list below) and the only one in the Greater Brandon area. Prescription drugs can be dropped off at all locations between the hours of 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

The collection is part of the National Prescription Drug Take-Back campaign sponsored nationally by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). More than 4,700 sites nationwide are participating.

The DEA reports that at last year’s first-ever take-back day, Americans at more on Sept. 25 turned in more than 242,000 pounds of prescription drugs for safe and proper disposal.

“The Take-Back Campaign was a stunning nationwide success that cleaned out more than 121 tons of pills from America’s medicine cabinets, a crucial step toward reducing the epidemic of prescription drug abuse that is plaguing this nation,” the DEA’s Michele Leonhart said at the time.  “Thanks to our state and local law enforcement and community partners, and the public, we not only removed these dangerous drugs from our homes, but also educated countless thousands of concerned citizens about the dangers of drug abuse.”

Locally, the sheriff’s office, the Florida Deparment of Health and the county’s consumer protection and code enforcement agencies have worked together to close clinics illegally dispensing pain medications.

The continuing crackdown became possible with the passage in July of a "Pain Management Ordinance.”

Earlier this year the sheriff’s office reported that detectives with the special operations division had arrested more than 85 people on charges ranging from trafficking in controlled substances to doctor shopping.

“Take-Back” Collection Locations:

Sponsored by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office:

• Supermarket, 2535 East State Road 60, Valrico
• Sweetbay Supermarket, 5320 Ehrlich Road, Tampa

Sponsored by the Tampa Police Department:

• Sweetbay Supermarket, 2525 North Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa
• Sweetbay Supermarket, 2100 West Swann Ave., Tampa

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