National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is Saturday

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is Saturday and there are several area locations to drop off expired, unwanted or unused prescription and over-the-counter medications. More than 40 collection sites throughout the county will be open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

In Newtown, the is a drop-off site. Nearby locations include: the Upper Makefield Township Police Station, 1076 Eagle Road and the Northampton Township Police Department, 25 Upper Holland Road.   

Click here for a full list of drop-off sites.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s national initiative is designed to help reduce prescription drug abuse and to protect the environment by providing for safe disposal of potentially dangerous controlled substances from household medicine cabinets.

“This is a needed service. In April, more than three dozen sites in Bucks County collected over 2,000 pounds of expired or unwanted medications,” said Melanie Swanson, a prevention specialist with The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania and a member of Bucks Promise for Youth and Communities.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue, according to organizers. According to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs. Each day, approximately 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time, according to the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.

Safe disposal of prescription drugs also helps reduce the presence of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supply, organizers said.

In Bucks County, Take-Back Day is coordinated by Bucks Promise for Youth and Communities in collaboration with the Bucks County Commissioners, the Department of Health, Bucks County Drug and Alcohol Commission, Inc., Bucks County Area Agency on Aging, Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and Bucks County Detectives as well as local law enforcement. This project is supported by the Bucks County Commissioners and is funded through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Bucks County Drug and Alcohol Commission.

The event is free and completely anonymous. Participants should remove any personal information from drug bottles or packages.

Sites will accept prescription and over-the-counter solid and liquid medications, including tablets, capsules, gel caps, cough medicine, inhalers, nasal sprays, creams, ointments and pet medications. Intravenous solutions, injectables, and needles will not be accepted. Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative.

For more information, visit www.dea.gov or call 215-244-7607.