The Kent Police Department will participate in its second annual Prescription Drug Take Back Day April 30, a nationwide effort spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration and local authorities.
The goal of the program is to provide a safe and secure environment for the community to turn in unused, expired, or otherwise unneeded medications.
A collection site will be set up from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30 in front of the Kent Police Station, 220 Fourth Ave. S.
Medications that can be dropped off can include:
• Controlled, non-controlled and over the counter medicines.
• All solid dosage pharmaceutical products and liquids in consumer containers.
• Liquid products, such as cough syrup, cold medicines, etc.
Collections sites will be unable to collect:
• Intravenous solutions, injectibles, syringes, or medical waste.
• Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamines.
Prescription drugs are the second most commonly abused narcotic, preceded only by marijuana, according to a Kent Police media release. The dangers posed by prescription medications know no boundaries.
While more than 2.1 million teens report abusing prescription drugs, the elderly are also vulnerable to prescription misuse as they are prescribed more medications than their younger counterparts. While most people take prescription medications responsibly, 48 million people have reported using prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons. This represents nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population.
Kent Police Public Education Specialist Stacy Judd expects another large collection of prescription drugs similar to 2010.
“Last year’s program netted over 70 pounds of unwanted or unusable medication.” Judd said. “For that reason we know that this year’s effort will continue to safeguard the Kent community from misuse and improper disposal of unwanted medications.”
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