More than 150 pounds worth of unwanted drugs were turned over to officers the Drug Enforcement Administration for safe disposal Saturday, no questions asked.
The chance for Santa Clarita Valley residents to safely get rid of their drugs happened Saturday when the DEA held its National Drug Take Back Day.
“It was a success,” DEA Agent Kyle M. Mori said Monday.
“The community has been outstanding for all the years we’ve done this,” he said. “This year was no exception.”
This year, SCV Sheriff’s Station and Ralphs Pharmacy partnered with the DEA to give residents the opportunity to rid their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs.
Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station, said participating agencies collected more than 150 pounds of prescription meds.
As DEA agents point out each year, medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse, law enforcement partners reported in a L.A. County Sheriff’s Department news release.
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, they said in the days leading up to the promotion.
Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including drugs taken 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.
661-287-5527
on Twitter @jamesarthurholt
