DEA Drug Take Back In Falmouth Saturday

FALMOUTH, MA — Falmouth is participating in a national prescription drug take back effort Saturday, October 28. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., officers at the police station on Main Street will collect unwanted prescription drugs. Citizens can drop off pills, no questions asked. Needles are not being collected.

The collection is part of the Drug Enforcement Administration's ongoing series of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events. Earlier this year, another take back event netted 450 tons of unwanted prescription drugs at more than 5,000 sites across the country. The amount was the highest since 2010, according to DEA officials.

Officials are expecting to collect a similar amount this time around.

"Too often, unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands. That's dangerous and often tragic,” said outgoing DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg in a statement. “That's why it was great to see thousands of folks from across the country clean out their medicine cabinets and turn in - safely and anonymously - a record amount of prescription drugs."

A 2015 federal study reported 6.4 million Americans abuse 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 said in a statement. "The DEA’s Take Back Day events provide an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths."

The DEA take back events have netted more than 4,000 tons of prescription drugs since 2010, officials said.

Related:

DEA National Take Back Initiative Collection Site Search

Prescription Drug Drop Box Search

Photo credit: Shutterstock