PRESS RELEASE – Rockland is once again offering residents the opportunity to empty their medicine cabinets of unused prescription drugs before they fall into the wrong hands, County Executive Ed Day announced. Another National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27 at selected pharmacies in Rockland.
“This is an easy way to get rid of medications you no longer need so that they don’t fall into the wrong hands,” Day said. “Disposing of medications, you no longer need by handing them over to the proper authorities also protects the environment by keeping prescription drugs out of our water.”
The event is part of the National Drug Take Back day initiated by the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. The local event has been organized by County Executive Day and the Rockland County Department of Mental Health under the direction of Commissioner Michael Leitzes along with local police.
Rockland Commissioner of Mental Health Michael Leitzes said, “we are proud to join the DEA, our Sheriff’s Department, and the Clarkstown, Haverstraw, Stony Point and Spring Valley Police Departments in participating in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on October 27, which addresses a crucial safety and public health issue. A recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health, estimates 6.2 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. The DEA’s Take Back Day events provide opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths.”
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 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.
The Drug Take Back was extremely successful this April. 164 New York Police Departments participated at 226 sites and collected almost 40,000 pounds of drugs. It is hoped all Rockland citizens can participate in this important initiative.
Residents will be able to bring medications to the following locations where police will be on hand to take the substances and dispose of them in an environmentally safe way:
- New City: CVS Pharmacy, 280 S Main Street
- Bardonia: CVS Pharmacy, 300 NY-304
- Garnerville: CVS Pharmacy, 12 W Ramapo Road
- Stony Point: Walgreens, 135 S Liberty Dr
- Spring Valley: Walgreens, 208 E. Route 59
- Nyack: Walgreens, 16 Route 59
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about National Drug Take Back Day events, visit the DEA Office of Diversion Control website at http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/
CVS, drug take back day, drugs, prescriptions, rx
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