NORTH VERNON, Ind. – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is sponsoring the 23rd nationwide “Prescription Drug Take Back” initiative later this month and the North Vernon Fire Department is a dropoff point. The “Take Back” initiative seeks to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft through proper disposal of prescription drugs.
Collection sites will be set up nationwide for expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs which will be properly disposed of without threat to the environment. This program is for liquid and pill medications. Vaping pens without batteries and vaping cartridges will also be taken. Needles will not be accepted. The service is free and anonymous with no questions asked.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Unused or expired medication in home cabinets is highly susceptible to theft, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are 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.
The North Vernon Fire Department, 2000 N. Madison Ave., will accept unused or expired prescription medication on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
