Drug take-back nets 61 pounds of prescription meds

On April 27 the South Lake Tahoe Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration provided the public its sixth opportunity in three years to take back unwanted prescription drugs and collected 61 pounds of prescription medication in South Lake Tahoe, which is the most collected in South Lake Tahoe since this program was started.

In Sacramento, the DEA announced it disposed of 17,741 pounds of unwanted prescription medication, up from last year’s weight of 9,952 pounds.

Northern California and Central Valley residents turned in 18 tons (36,004 pounds) of unwanted and expired medications at 211 collection sites manned by 147 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that partnered with DEA on the event. Nearly 68 tons (135,860 pounds) has been collected from the Central Valley and Northern California during the six prescription drug take-back events held since September 2010.

According to the DEA, the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day this past Saturday collected 50 percent more pills than the previous one, demonstrating the American public’s continued appreciation and need for the opportunity to discard unwanted, unused and expired prescription drugs from medicine cabinets, bedside tables, and kitchen drawers. Nationally, 742,497 pounds (371 tons) of prescription medication was collected and destroyed.