Upper St. Clair Police Fight Drug Abuse With Take-Back Day

Nearly 40 people filled up two large boxes Saturday of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs at the .

This was the first year the police—along with the Upper St. Clair Youth Steering Committee—took part in the National Take-Back Initiative.

"We couldn't find any negatives to the program," said Lt. James Englert of the Upper St. Clair Police. "We view it as a good thing for two main reasons."

The first, he said, was that the event gets unwanted drugs out of medicine cabinets and out of the hands of kids or adults who may abuse the prescriptions.

The program also has a positive impact on the environment, Englert said. Flushing medicine down the toilet or throwing drugs in the trash can pose health hazards and the medicine can seep into the water systems.

Englert was pleased with Saturday's participation.

"We'll be participating in the future as well," he said. "We anticipate we'll do better next year."

What do you think about the Take-Back Initiative? Tell us in the comments.