National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day
updated: Sep 05, 2012, 12:08 PM

Source: Oxnard Police Department

INCIDENT: National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day: Oxnard Police Taking Back Unwanted Prescription Drugs

DATE/TIME: Saturday, September 29, 2012/ 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Oxnard Police Department - 251 South C Street, Oxnard

PREPARED BY: Commander Andrew Salinas, Special Projects

CONTACT PERSON & Sergeant Alex Rangel, Public Information Officer

CONTACT INFO: (805) 385-7631 alex.rangel@oxnardpd.org

Oxnard, California - On September 29, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Oxnard Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another 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 the Oxnard Police Department located at 251 South C Street. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last April, Americans turned in 552,161-276 tons-of prescription drugs at nearly 5,600 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,300 state and local law enforcement partners. The Oxnard Police Department collected over 1000 pounds during this past collection.

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.

Four days after the first Take-Back event in September 2010, 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 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. DEA has begun drafting regulations to implement the Act, a process that can take as long as 24 months. Until new regulations are in place, local law enforcement agencies like the Oxnard Police Department and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug Take-Back events every few months.

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