Drug Take Back Day in South Lake Tahoe Saturday

Removing unused, unwanted and expired medications from homes is a huge step in preventing pill abuse and theft, and the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will be holding a Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Safeway parking lot.

This is the local's 16th opportunity in the past eight years to get rid of their potentially dangerous medication on the South Shore.

Safeway is located at 1020 Johnson Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe. The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches. This is a free and anonymous resource and no questions will be asked. Needles and sharps can be placed in empty milk cartons and handed to South Tahoe Public Utility District.

For those unable to attend Saturday there are local medication drop boxes permanently located in the lobbies of the SLTPD office and El Dorado County Sheriff's office on Johnson Boulevard and at the Douglas County Sheriff's office at Stateline.

Last spring Americans turned in nearly 475 tons (949,046 pounds) of prescription drugs at more than 5,800 sites operated by the DEA and almost 4,700 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 15 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in almost 10 million pounds—nearly 5,000 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. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen 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.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 27 Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com