'Take Back' rids homes of unused drugs on April 25

  • Published
  • 82nd Sercurity Forces Squadron
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The 82nd Security Forces Squadron and the Drug Enforcement Administration have collected nearly 600 pounds of unused and expired prescription and over-the-counter drugs through four collection events.

They are providing another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Those who have medications to turn in can do so April 25, 2014, at the Sheppard Clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at the Sheppard Commissary and Sheppard Main Exchange from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 26. This will be the fifth event for Sheppard and security forces.

"During the last event in October, we collected 174 pounds," said Raymond Ramsey, 82nd SFS detective. "Our total for the previous four events is 596 pounds of drugs. Bring your medications for disposal to the above listed locations. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked."

Last October, Americans turned in 647,211 pounds--324 tons--of prescription drugs at more than 5,600 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,300 state and local law enforcement partners. In its five previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners collected more than 3.1 million pounds--1,733 tons--of pills, marking a 50 percent increase from the last Take Back event.

"This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue," Ramsey said. "Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse."

According to national poison control statistics, 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 a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised 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.

Four days after the first event, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an "ultimate user" 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.

The DEA is drafting regulations to implement the act, but until new regulations are in place, local law enforcement agencies like the 82nd SFS and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months.