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CPD Designated Drop Off Site for Prescription Drug ‘Take Back Day’

By October 20, 2016December 31st, 2016Press Releases

Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook announces that CPD is a designated “drop-off” site for the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day which is set for Saturday, October 22, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

The event is sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in an effort to provide a venue for persons who want to properly dispose of unwanted and unused prescription medicines.

Please note: The DEA and CPD cannot accept liquids or needles — Only pills or patches.

Columbia residents can drop off such medications at #1 Justice Square – Columbia Police Headquarters on Saturday.

Studies show 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. A majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet

For more information on the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, visit www.dea.gov or call toll-free 800-882-9539

Federal Guidelines for Drug Disposal:

According to the Food and Drug Administration:

 Follow any specific disposal instructions on the drug label or patient information that accompanies the medication. Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet.

  •   Take advantage of community drug take-back programs that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for proper disposal.
  •   If no instructions are given on the drug label and no take-back program is available in your area, throw the drugs in the household trash, but first:
  •   Take them out of their original containers and mix them with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter. The medication will be less appealing to children and pets, and unrecognizable to people who may intentionally go through your trash.
  •   Put them in a sealable bag, empty can, or other container to prevent the medication from leaking or breaking out of a garbage bag.
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