Event Description
Saturday, April 24 from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm is our National Drug Take Back Day. WPD has a permanent Drug Take Back Receptacle, but on this day we call attention to the proliferation of unwanted, unused, and dangerous drugs that may be stored in our cabinets, bathrooms, and kitchens around our homes or offices. This leaves opportunities for others to ascertain those items and use them in unprescribed ways. Also, disposing these items down our septic or sewer systems introduces harmful products into the environment. So we are asking everyone to take a few minutes to dispose of these unused items and stop by the WPD this Saturday (501 Forest Street). Last year, WPD disposed 170lbs in just one day! Great job and let’s see if we can beat that number this year.
With opioid overdose deaths increasing during the pandemic, the Drug Enforcement Administration announces its 20th Take Back Day is scheduled for April 24th. At its last Take Back Day in October, DEA collected a record-high amount of expired, unwanted, and unused prescription medications, with the public turning in close to 500 tons of unwanted drugs. Over the 10-year span of Take Back Day, DEA has brought in more than 6,800 tons of prescription drugs. With studies indicating a majority of abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets, clearing out unused medicine is essential.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. has seen an increase in overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 83,544 Americans overdosing during the 12-month period ending July 1, 2020, the most ever recorded in a 12-month period. The increase in drug overdose deaths appeared to begin prior to the COVID-19 health emergency, but accelerated significantly during the first months of the pandemic.
Learn more about the event at www.deatakeback.com, or by calling 800-882-9539.
-Windermere Police Chief, David Ogden
