Lake Zurich Police and Drug Enforcement Administration team up for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, the Lake Zurich Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. Tablets, capsules, patches, liquids and other solid forms of prescription drugs will be accepted for disposal at the Lake Zurich Police Department, 200 Mohawk Trail, Lake Zurich. The service is free and anonymous; no questions asked.

In partnership with local law enforcement, Take Back Day has removed more than 10,200 tons of medication from circulation since its inception.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. 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, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are reminded that flushing unused medicines down the toilet or throwing them in the trash both pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information and to find a collection site near you, visit DEATakeBack.com.