State Police, DEA Hosting Drug Take Back Events Saturday

State police on Saturday are teaming up with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to collect unwanted and expired prescription drugs.

The take back events are slated for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in various locations.

Medicines that "languish" in home cabinets are highly susceptible to "diversion, misuse, and abuse," state police 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. 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," the agencies said in a news release.

Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled
Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to "entities" authorized by the attorney general to accept them.

Local law enforcement agencies and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every
few months, state police said.

Here are the State Police barracks and and resident trooper officer designated for collection:

• Troop A-Southbury 90 Lakeside Road, Southbury
• Troop B-North Canaan 463B Ashley Falls Road, North Canaan
• Troop C-Tolland 1320 Tolland Stage Road, Tolland
• Troop D-Danielson 55 Wescott Road, Danielson
• Troop E-Montville off I-395, Uncasville
• Troop F-Westbrook 315 Spencer Plains Road, Westbrook
• Troop G-Bridgeport 149 Prospect Street, Bridgeport
• Troop H-Hartford 100R Washington Street, Hartford
• Troop I-Bethany 631 Amity Road, Bethany
• Troop K-Colchester 15A Old Hartford Road, Colchester
• Troop L-Litchfield 452A Bantam Road, Litchfield
• Troop C Resident State Trooper’s Offices
• Ellington 33 Arbor Way, Ellington
• Somers 619 Main Street, Somers
• Stafford 2 Main Street, Stafford Springs
• Tolland 1320 Tolland Stage Road, Tolland
• Troop L Resident State Trooper’s Offices
• Bethlehem 36 Main Street South, Bethlehem
• Burlington 200 Spielman Highway, Burlington
• Kent 41 Kent Green Blvd, Kent
• Washington 109 Bee Brook Road, Route 47, Washington
• Woodbury 271 Main Street South, Woodbury

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel