Drug Take Back Day
Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at 11:30AM On April 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the Champaign Health District and the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office will be partnering with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription and non-prescription drugs. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Last October, Americans turned in 377,080 pounds—188.5 tons—of prescription drugs at over 5,300 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,000 state and local law enforcement partners. In its three previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in almost a million pounds—nearly 500 tons—of pills.
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. 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.
This year there will be four locations set up throughout the county for easier access for drop off for all Champaign county residents. The locations will be:
- St. Paris, C & R Pharmacy at 122 S. Springfield Street
- Mechanicsburg: Village Pharmacy at 26 S. Main Street
- North Lewisburg: Cherry Arbors at 125 Cherry Street
- Urbana: Champaign Health District at 1512 S US Highway 68
Additional organizations assisting on that day will be Mechanicsburg Police Department, St. Paris Police Department, Champaign County Medical Reserve Corps and The Medicine Shoppe.