Close to 400 pounds worth of drugs was returned to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station on Friday — about four times the amount of drugs returned any of the other prior instances of the annual drug give-back event.
Every year, the Sheriff’s Station holds its Drug Take-Back Day, when people are invited to safely dispose of expired medication and other drugs.
On Friday, deputies collected at least 390 pounds of drugs, said Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station.
“The last one that we did solely as a station probably brought in around 80 to 90 pounds, so we were very pleased with the community’s participation,” she said.
The SCV Sheriff’s Station hosted Drug Take-Back Day on Friday, between 8 a.m. and noon.
Community members were urged to drop off unwanted medications during the event, a free service to allow the public to anonymously discard prescription medications. Over-the-counter medications were also accepted for disposal.
Bringing expired or unwanted prescription drugs to the collection site eliminates the potential for misuse, abuse or accidental poisoning, according to sheriff’s officials. Improper disposal of medications, such as flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, can be hazardous to public safety, public health and the environment.
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