DEARBORN — The Police Department invites the public to dispose of unwanted prescription medications April 30.
People may take pills and patches for disposal to the front lobby of the Dearborn Police Station, 16099 Michigan Ave., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The service is free and anonymous; no questions asked. Liquids, needles or sharp objects will not be accepted.
The April 30 Take Back Day — held in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration — is the 11th in six years. It allows the public an opportunity to rid their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.
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 United States 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, according to the DEA. In addition, usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—pose potential safety and health hazards.
Last September, Americans turned in 350 tons of prescription drugs at more than 5,000 sites operated by the DEA and more than 3,800 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 10 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 5.5 million pounds — more than 2,750 tons — of pills.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 30 Take Back Day event, go to http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov.