Drug Take Back Day is September 27

porter-county-substance-abuse-councilOn September 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Porter County Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its ninth opportunity in four years 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 Sheriff’s Department at 2755 S. St Rte. 49, Valparaiso. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last April, Americans turned in 390 tons (over 780,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at nearly 6,100 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,400 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 4.1 million pounds—more than 2,100 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 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. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

DEA is in the process of approving new regulations that implement the Safe and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” (that is, a patient or their family member or pet owner) of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances.

Besides the Porter County Sheriff’s Department five local Police Departments have medication drop-off boxes available 24/7. They will be available on September 27th as well. Those locations are the Chesterton Police Department, 790 Broadway, Chesterton, Hebron Police Department, 106 East Sigler, Hebron, Portage Police Department, 2693 Irving Street, Portage, Porter Police Department, 50 Frances Street, Porter and the Valparaiso Police Department, 355 Washington, Valparaiso.

The Porter County Substance Abuse Council is dedicated to reducing substance abuse in Porter County. The Council successfully collaborates with treatment facilities, education providers, members of the justice community and concerned citizens. A member of the Governor’s Commission for a Drug Free Indiana, the Council is in its 26th year providing funding to the community.