The Federal Drug Enforcement Administration has designated this Saturday, April 28, as Prescription Drug Takeback Day throughout the nation and has designated one location in Evanston where you can dispose of unwanted drugs.
That location is the headquarters of the Evanston Police Department at 1454 Elmwood Ave., where drugs will be accepted between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Since the program was started in the fall of 2010, some 4,508 tons of unwanted drugs have been disposed of.
Only pills or patches will be accepted. Don’t bring liquids, needles, or sharps, the agency says. The service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked, it notes.
In a news release announcing details of the program, the DEA states that 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, it points out, 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.