Bonney Lake Police Announce Drug Takeback Event

BONNEY LAKE, WA — Got any prescription medicine lying around you want to get rid of? Well this weekend, the Bonney Lake Police Department has the perfect event for you.

As part of the DEA's National Prescription Takeback campaign, Bonney Lake police will be hosting their own drug takeback event this Saturday, Oct. 23, outside the Bonney Lake Public Safety Building.

Visitors are invited to drop off drugs, no questions asked, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue," the police department said. "Proper disposal of unused drugs saves lives and protects the environment and our overall community."

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is an organized effort to crack down on the opioid epidemic by safely disposing of unused medication, thus keeping the pills out of the hands of drug users. According to organizers, the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 9.7 million Americans misused prescription pain relievers, 5.9 million more misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives, and 4.9 misused stimulants in 2019 alone. Of those misused drugs, the majority were taken from family and friends, often pilfered from home medicine cabinet, the DEA says.

The DEA's earlier drug take back event in October collected a total 492.7 tons of drugs at 4,587 collection sites across the country.