Police: Rid Your House of Dangerous Medications Oct. 26

The Drug Enforcement Administration of the U.S. Department of Justice is hosting another Pill Drop event on Saturday, Oct. 26. The Cartersville Police Department will be participating locally by providing a booth for citizens to drop off unused, old or unwanted medications for proper disposal. 

The booth will be located in front of the police department at 195 Cassville Road in Cartersville from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Items that are labeled as “bio-hazard” and items such as needles or syringes will not be accepted.

“This event has been very successful in the past," Chief Thomas "Tommy" Culpepper said in a news release. "This past spring, over 70 pounds of medications were dropped off.” 

The purpose is to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last April, Americans turned in 371 tons, more than 742,000 pounds, of prescription drugs at over 5,800 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. In its six previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in 2.8 million pounds—more than 1,400 tons—of pills. 

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, 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. 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.

DEA is in the process of approving new regulations that implement the Safe and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” (that is, a patient or pet or their family member or owner) of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances.    

CPD also maintains a pill drop box in the lobby of the Public Safety Headquarters, at which members of the public may dispose of medications 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Protect yourself, your family and the community by disposing of medications properly.

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