National Drug Takeback Day April 29, 2017: Claremont Area

CLAREMONT, CA — How long has it been since you cleaned out your medicine cabinet? Chances are, it's loaded with expired pills and patch medications.

"Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse," Seal Beach Police Department Sergeant Mike Henderson said. "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."

Across Los Angeles County, San Gabriel Valley, the state of California and the U.S., Saturday, April 29, 2017 is National Prescription Drug Takeback Day, an effort by the Drug Enforcement Administration to alleviate the use and misuse of expired prescription pills.

Area police departments discussed the initiative as vital to public safety and public health.

"Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet," Henderson said. "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 DEA, a division of the Department of Justice, is working with your local city, health, and law enforcement professionals to take those unwanted medications off of your hands.

"The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse and medications," a spokesperson for Orange County Health Agency said.

The types of drugs that can be surrendered on April 29 are pills and patch medications only. The DEA will not take back liquids or sharps during Prescription Drug Takeback Day.

Find a prescription drug takeback center close to you:

San Gabriel Valley collection sites are located in:

• Baldwin Park
• La Puente
• Los Angeles
• Pasadena
• San Gabriel
• South Pasadena
• Temple City

Note. Sharps or needles cannot be accepted at all facilities. If you are attempting to turn in sharps please locate a disposal center near you.

The remainder of the year, many Walgreens stores are providing clients with a 24-hour Mailbox-type Kiosks to surrender medications in an environmentally friendly alternative.

"Walgreens is the first large U.S. pharmacy chain to offer a more environmentally friendly alternative," According to a report from Orange County Register. "The kiosks will be secure, so people can’t improperly get their hands on the valuable medications."

The medications collected are destroyed, likely by incineration. Check to see if your Walgreens also provides Approved Mail-back Services.

"Additional options include contacting your physician to see if they will accept them or obtaining a sharps mail back container from your pharmacy," Orange County Health said. "You may also purchase the mail-back containers online."