RANGELEY POLICE DEPARTMENT TAKING BACK UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS SATURDAY,

APRIL 26TH, AT RANGELEY TOWN OFFICE

 

Rangeley, Maine – On Saturday, 4/26/2014 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Rangeley Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your medications for disposal to Rangeley Police Department at 15 School St. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

 

Last October, Americans turned in 242,000 pounds—121 tons—of prescription drugs at nearly 4,100 sites operated by the DEA and more than 3,000 state and local law enforcement partners.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. 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. 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.

Four days after the event, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2013, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances. DEA has begun drafting regulations to implement the Act, a process that can take as long as 24 months. Until new regulations are in place, local law enforcement agencies like Rangeley Police Department and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months.

prescription drugsUSE REAR DOOR OF TOWN OFFICE TO MEET THE RANGELEY OFFICER. MEET THE RANGELEY POLICE OFFICER AND DROP OFF YOUR UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS !!

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

Related Stories
Latest Articles