Drug Take Back Program Held in Concord April 30

CONCORD, NH – On April 30, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Concord Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its 11th opportunity in six years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Bring your pills for disposal to the Concord Police Department at 35 Green St. in Concord. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.)

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last September, according to a press statement from Lt. Timothy O'Malley of the Concord Police Department, Americans turned in 350 tons (more than 702,000 lbs.) of prescription drugs at more than 5,000 sites operated by the DEA and more than 3,800 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 10 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 5.5 million lbs. - more than 2,750 tons - of pills.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue, he noted. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. 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, O'Malley said. 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.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 30th Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Diversion website or the Concord Police Department website (http://www.concordnh.gov/Index.aspx?NID=807). #