Drug Take-Back Day Planned

Residents who want to responsibly dispose of unwanted medication will get a chance later this month when the Charleston County Sheriff and the Drug Enforcement Agency hold a drug take-back day.

The event is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 28 at the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office at 3505 Pinehaven Drive, North Charleston. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

The Drug Take-Back program is a national effort to help residents dispose of drugs that could fall into the wrong hands.

Last October, Americans turned in 377,080 pounds—188.5 tons—of prescription drugs at over 5,300 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,000 state and local law enforcement partners. In its three previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in almost a million pounds—nearly 500 tons—of pills. 

Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse, according to the DEA. 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. 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.