By Linda Bentley | September 16, 2015
MCSO and DEA hosting prescription drug drop off event
CAVE CREEK – On Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will provide the public with an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
Bring your pills for disposal to the MCSO District IV substation at 37622 N. Cave Creek Rd., Cave Creek (Next door to Cave Creek Town Hall) or 3701 W. Anthem Way, Anthem (Anthem Way and Venture Court).
Please note, the DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills and patches.
The service is free and anonymous with no questions asked.
Last September, Americans turned in 309 tons (over 617,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at nearly 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners. When those results are combined with what was collected in its eight previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 4.8 million pounds—more than 2,400 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 Unite States 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.
Additionally, prior methods for disposing unused medicines, such as flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, have been found to leach into our water supplies and pose potential safety and health hazards.
