Prescription Drug Take Back Day in CNMI and Guam this Saturday

The Drug Enforcement Administration will hold its 15th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, this Saturday, April 28, 2018.

The biannual event will be held from 10am to 2pm, at thousands of collection sites around the country, including here in the CNMI and Guam.

The event is an effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Last April Americans turned in 450 tons (900,000 lbs) of prescription drugs at almost 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners.

Overall, in its 14 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds—more than 4,050 tons—of pills.

The disposal service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. (The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches.)

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. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose. Some painkiller abusers move on to heroin: Four out of five new heroin users started with painkillers.

Flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash pose potential safety and health hazards. This initiative addresses the public safety and public health issues that surround medications languishing in home cabinets, becoming highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.

The following sites in Guam and in the NMI are designated to receive unused prescription drugs, so stop by on Saturday, April 28, 2018 between 10am and 2pm at the:

• Commonwealth Health Center (in front of the pharmacy) 

• Rota Health Center 

• Tinian Health Center 

• Agana Shopping Center (Across Vitamin World) 

• Andersen Air Force Base Exchange (Inside Entrance) 

• Naval Base Guam (Navy Exchange Food Court)
• 

Contact DEA Special Agent Dave Stubbs at (671) 472-7384 on any questions about prescription drug abuse and/or any concerns regarding drug related activity on Guam or in the NMI.

For more information, go to www.dea.gov, www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com, or www.justthinktwice.com. (PR)