Arlington Heights PD Participating In Prescription Drug Take Back Day

PATCH, IL — Twice a year, the Drug Enforcement Administration, along with thousands of law enforcement partners across the United States, hold National Prescription Take Back Day events.

On Saturday, Oct. 26, a number of local police departments will be collecting the unwanted prescription drugs between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., including:

• Arlington Heights Police Department, 200 E. Sigwalt St. (lobby drop-off), Arlington Heights
• Rolling Meadows Police Department, Rolling Meadows City Hall, 3600 Kirchoff Road (front parking lot), Rolling Meadows
• Mount Prospect Police Department, 911 E. Kensington Road (lobby), Mount Prospect
• Elk Grove Village Police Department, 901 Wellington Ave., Elk Grove Village
• Palatine Police Department, 595 N. Hicks Road, Palatine
• Des Plaines Police Department, 1420 Miner St. (front lobby), Des Plaines

The last event, held on April 27, resulted in the collection of 670,136 pounds of unneeded medications at 4,869 collection sites nationwide.

Locally, many police departments took part in the collection, including Arlington Heights. In Illinois, 27,565 pounds of drugs were collected, across 174 sites. Since the program began, the state has collected 788,356 pounds of unwanted prescription drugs.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the majority of people who use prescription medication for a nonmedical purpose obtained the medication from a family member or a friend. The DEA believes removing unnecessary medications from the home "can help prevent situations involving; not taking medication as intended or dosed; taking someone else’s prescription; and taking the medicine for euphoric effects rather than medicinal purposes."