BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is set for Saturday, October 22, and there are a number of locations in Jefferson County that will accept unwanted and unused medications.
Take-Back Day is a national initiative, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), aimed at encouraging the public to dispose of expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs that are prone to abuse and theft. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Times are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but Brockway Drug Store will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will accept medications all day.
In Brookville, go to the county courthouse on Main Street where the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department will accept the medications.
In Sykesville, the Borough Building will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In Punxsutawney, the Police Department has a drop-off box where medications can be taken any time of day.
The DuBois-based State Police Barracks in Falls Creek will also accept medications from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Also, Pennsylvanians can turn in unwanted, expired and unused prescription drugs any day of the year. Visit the Department of Drug and Alcohol’s Drug Take-back website here to find a location near you.
The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, secure, and environmentally responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse and trafficking of medications.
This is important because the non-medical use of controlled substance medications is at an all-time high, with 6.8 million Americans reporting having abused prescription drugs in 2012, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) released in 2013.
That same study revealed more than 54 percent of people who abuse prescription pain relievers got them through friends or relatives, a statistic that includes raiding the family medicine cabinet.
Last September, Americans turned in 350 tons (over 702,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at more than 5,000 sites operated by the DEA and more than 3,800 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 10 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 5.5 million pounds—more than 2,750 tons—of pills.
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