Sedona Police Department Take-Back Drug Day
Sedona AZ (April 21, 2012) – On Saturday, April 28, 2012 the Sedona Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. The public is encouraged to bring any and all unwanted medications and medicine cabinet contents for disposal to the Sedona Police Department parking lot at Sedona City Hall, 100 Roadrunner Drive, west Sedona. The drug disposal service is free and anonymous and no questions will be asked.
Americans that participated in the DEA’s third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on October 29, 2011 turned in more than 377,086 pounds (188.5 tons) of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal at the 5,327 take-back sites in all 50 states and U.S. territories. When the results of the three prior Take-Back Days are combined, the DEA and its state, local, and tribal law-enforcement and community partners removed 995,185 pounds (498.5 tons) of medication from circulation in the past thirteen months.
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 United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses because of these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends including those found in home medicine cabinets. In addition, Americans are advised that the usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet and or throwing them in the trash—both are now known to pose potential safety and health hazards.
Four days after the first Take-Back event in September 2010, the U.S. Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010 which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of its residents controlled substances. DEA has begun drafting regulations to implement the Act, a process that can take as long as twenty four months.
Until new regulations are in place, local law enforcement agencies like Sedona Police Department and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events. Avail yourself of this free opportunity on April 28, 2012 and encourage friends and neighbors to do the same.
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