BATTLE MOUNTAIN - On April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lander County Community Health, among many local partners and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will give Lander County residents their first opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
Bring your medications for disposal to Jacob's Well at 870 South Broad St. in Battle Mountain or the ambulance station at 155 Main St. in Austin. The service is free and anonymous. No questions asked.
Last September, Americans turned in 244 tons of prescription drugs at more than 5,200 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. In its five previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in more than two million pounds - more than 1,000 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.
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