West Des Moines Police Department: Drug Take Back Event

Press release from the West Des Moines Police Department:

10/20/2021 1:14 PM

The West Des Moines Police Department is pleased to partner with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in their National Prescription Drug Take-Back initiative held twice per year.  The next event is Saturday, October 23, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, located at the West Des Moines Police Department, 250 Mills Civic Pkwy, West Des Moines.  The process is easy.  Simply drive into the front parking lot and hand us your medications.  We take care of the rest.  You don’t even have to exit your car. 

 According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers.  4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives.  This survey also showed that most misused medications were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.  These medications are a public safety issue that can lead to accidental poisoning, overdose, and abuse.

Last spring, Americans turned in nearly 840,000 pounds (420 tons) of prescription drugs at approximately 5,000 collection sites nationwide.  Since the inception of this program, the DEA has collected over 7,000 tons of these medications dating back to 2010.

In celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the West Des Moines Police Department is selling breast cancer awareness patches throughout the month of October.  While you are dropping off your medications on October 23, these patches will be available for sale.  The cost for each patch is $10, and all proceeds go towards the Can Do Cancer Foundation.  We appreciate your consideration.

This press release was produced by the West Des Moines Police Department. The views expressed here are the author’s own.