Tomorrow is National Drug Take Back Day, a time when people can safely dispose of expired, unused medicines by dropping them off at participating law enforcement agencies. In Liberty County, the designated sites are Liberty Police Department, 1906 Lakeland Drive, and Cleveland City Hall, 907 E. Houston.
These locations will accept unwanted medications between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. A drop-off container will be placed at each location with an officer available to assist in discarding the medication.
“There will be no questions asked and no papers to fill out,” said Cleveland Police Chief Darrel Broussard.
National Drug Take Back Day is an event promoted by the Drug Enforcement Agency. A statement on the DEA website says that 6.2 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs in 2016. The majority of the abused drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
Last April, the National Drug Take Back Day saw 4,683 law enforcement agencies nationwide participating. The agencies collected 949,046 pounds, or 474.5 tons, of unwanted prescription drugs.
While it might seem easier to toss the medicines in the trash or flush them down the toilet, the Federal Drug Administration cautions against it. Medicines in the trash can be harmful to a child, pet or others if accidentally ingested. Flushing the medicines can cause harm to sewer systems, lakes and streams.
For more information on Drug Take Back Day, go online to https://takebackday.dea.gov/