Drug Take-Back Day Is Saturday in Alsip, Crestwood

ALSIP-CRESTWOOD, IL -- National Drug Take-Back Day is this Saturday, April 28, and thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country are hosting drop-off locations where local residents can safely dispose of unused prescription drugs and expired over-the-counter medications. Take-Back Day is also a good time to remind residents that they can drop off their unused or expired drugs 365 days a year at the Alsip and Crestwood police departments, located at:

• 4500 123rd St., Alsip
• 13840 S Cicero Ave, Crestwood

The events sponsored by the U.S. Drug Administration are held twice annually to help Americans safely dispose of expired and unused prescriptions. Since 2010, more than 4,500 tons of expired or unused prescription drugs, including opioids, have been turned in during DEA events. Last fall, Americans turned in a record-setting 912,305 pounds — or 456 tons — of potentially dangerous drugs, almost 6 tons more than collected at the spring 2017 event. That brings to 4,508 tons the amount of prescription drugs collected by the DEA since the fall of 2010.

Included in the haul are ever-higher amounts of opioids, the DEA said. Though prescribed for pain management, these highly addictive drugs can be stolen and abused by family members and visitors, including children and teens.

Often, the path to addiction to illegal drugs like heroin begins at a doctor’s office.

“The abuse of these prescription drugs has fueled the nation’s opioid epidemic which has led to the highest rate of overdose deaths this country has ever seen,” DEA Acting Administrator Robert W. Patterson said in a statement. “This is a crisis that must be addressed from multiple angles. Educating the public and removing these medications from households across the United State prevents misuse where it often starts.”

If you have any lingering opioids left over from when you needed it, you’ll want to get rid of those pills so they don’t fall into the wrong hands. Visit the U.S. DEA Diversion Control to find a collection site near you.

Photo by David Smart/Shutterstock.com