The Bellaire Police Department will be collecting potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction on Saturday as part of a nationwide “Take Back” initiative.
The “Take Back” event seeks to prevent increased pill abuse and theft and will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Community National Bank, 5123 Bellaire Blvd.
The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
“With this National Prescription Drug Take-Back campaign, we are aggressively reaching out to individuals to encourage them to rid their households of unused prescription drugs that pose a safety hazard and can contribute to prescription drug abuse,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler. “The Department of Justice is committed to doing everything we can to make our communities safer, and this initiative represents a new front in our efforts.”
“This effort symbolizes DEA’s commitment to halting the disturbing rise in addiction caused by their misuse and abuse,” said Michele M. Leonhart, acting administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “Working together with our state and local partners, the medical community, anti-drug coalitions, and a concerned public, we will eliminate a major source of abused prescription drugs, and reduce the hazard they pose to our families and communities in a safe, legal, and environmentally sound way.”
“Prescription drug abuse is the Nation’s fastest-growing drug problem, and take-back events like this one are an indispensable tool for reducing the threat that the diversion and abuse of these drugs pose to public health,” said Director of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske. “The federal/state/and local collaboration represented in this initiative is key in our national efforts to reduce pharmaceutical drug diversion and abuse.”
Collection sites in every community can be found by going to www.dea.gov. The website site will be continuously updated with new take-back locations.
Other participants in this initiative include the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; the Partnership for a Drug-Free America; the International Association of Chiefs of Police; the National Association of Attorneys General; the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy; the Federation of State Medical Boards and the National District Attorneys Association.
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