Peabody Police, Social Services Drug Takeback Day Set for April

PEABODY, MA — The Peabody Police Department invites residents to bring their old, expired and unused medications to the PBD lobby on April 27 as part of National Drug Takeback Day.

Peabody police are running the event in partnership with the city's Social Services Department and the National Drug Enforcement Agency. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The drop-off is free and anonymous with pet medication accepted as well.

"Removing these substances from homes is an important step to protect our residents," Peabody police said. "According to two recent and comprehensive studies by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the most common source of illegal drugs for children is the medicine cabinet in their home."

Proper disposal of these drugs also helps keep them out of the water streams and avoids the contamination that can happen if they are thrown into landfills or flushed down a toilet.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)