MONO COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE IS TAKING BACK UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS September 26, 2015 AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS:

Walker General Store – Bridgeport Fire Department – June Lake Fire Department

Vons, Mammoth Lakes – Crowley Community Center

On September 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Mono County District Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its tenth opportunity in five years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.  Bring your pills for disposal to any of the sites listed above. (The District Attorney cannot accept liquids, needles or sharp objects, only pills or patches.)  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last September, Americans turned in 309 tons (over 617,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at nearly 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners.  When those results are combined with what was collected in its eight previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 4.8 million pounds, more than 2,400 tons of pills.  Last year alone, the Mono County District Attorney collected a total of 32 pounds of unwanted prescription drugs at its various locations throughout Mono County.  These were prescription drugs that could potentially make their way into our community and schools.

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.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the September 26 Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Office of Diversion Control site or call the Mono County District Attorney.