Community Corner
San Rafael PD Accepting Unwanted Prescription Drugs
p.m. the San Rafael Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA) will provide the public with its eighth opportunity in three 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 San Rafael City Hall
Lobby located at 1400 Fifth Avenue.
The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps at this take-back
event. Only pills or patches can
be dropped off. The service is free and anonymous, no questions
asked.
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.