Residents of Louisiana have an opportunity to safely and anonymously rid their homes of unused, unwanted, unneeded, or expired prescription medications, announced United States Attorney Brandon Fremin of the Middle District of Louisiana, and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley.
The National Prescription Take Back Day is Saturday, April 28, 2018, at more than 5 locations within the Middle District of Louisiana and over 30 locations across Louisiana. During this one-day event, federal and local law enforcement will, once again, partner together to increase awareness of prescription drug abuse and provide an opportunity to reduce the availability of prescription pain medications in local homes.
U.S. Attorney Brandon Fremin stated: “This program seeks to lessen the massive amount of prescription drugs available at the homes of unsuspecting families throughout our district. Reducing this available supply is an important component in our fight against opioid abuse, and it is something that many - if not most - residents can do something about."
DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley stated: “The most common way that prescription drug abusers obtain their drugs is from their own family and friends. We can all do our part to potentially reduce substance abuse by being proactive and participating in the prescription drug take back program. Removing unwanted or expired medications from our home is a step we can all take to keep our families and community both healthier and safer."
Prescription Take Back days have historically been very successful. For example, in October 2017, the 14th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which involved almost 4,300 national, tribal, state, and local law enforcement partners, resulted in the collection of 912,305 pounds (456 tons) of prescription drugs at more than 5,300 collection sites. The program has resulted in the collection of more than 9 million pounds (more than 4,500 tons) since it began seven years ago.
The Prescription Drug Take Back is part of a nationwide effort sponsored by the DEA. Containers where unwanted and expired prescription medications may be safely disposed will be at locations across the Baton Rouge Metropolitan area on Saturday, April 28th from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps). The service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked.
A complete list of locations may be found at WWW.DEA.GOV by clicking on Drug Take Back and typing in your zip code.
Many Americans are unsure of how to properly dispose of their unused medications and often flush them down the toilet or throw them away. This poses safety and health hazards. More information on how to properly dispose of unused medicines can be found on the Drug Enforcement Administration website.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
