Event Allows Disposal of Prescription Drugs

The following announcement is from the :

This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Attleboro Police Department and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration will give residents an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. 

Residents can bring their medications for disposal to the Attleboro Police Department at 12 Union Street.  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

This event is part of the national Take-Back program.

Americans turned in 377,080 pounds of prescription drugs at more than 5,300 sites during a similar program in October, according to the DEA. The program involved nearly 4,000 state and local law enforcement partners.

In its three previous Take Back events, the DEA and its partners took in almost 1 million pounds of pills.

The program addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to 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. 

Also, Americans are advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—pose potential safety and health hazards.

Questions can be directed to the Detective Division at 508-222-1259.