Saturday is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

Seattle Police Email Community Announcement 
April 28, 2011 
 
Prescription Drug National Take Back Initiative 
The 2nd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day 
Saturday, April 30, 2011 
10:00 am – 2:00 pm 
 
Dear Community Friends; 
 
The following information is from the Drug Enforcement Agency. 

• Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue, leading to accidental poisoning, overdose and abuse.
• Pharmaceutical drugs can be just as dangerous as street drugs when taken without a prescription or a doctor’s supervision. 
• The non-medical use of prescription drugs ranks second only to marijuana as the most common form of drug abuse in America.
• The majority of teenagers abusing prescription drugs get them from family and friends – and their home medicine cabinet. 
• Unused prescription drugs thrown in the trash can be retrieved and illegally sold.   Unused drugs that are flushed contaminate the water supply. Proper disposal of unused drugs saves lives and protects the environment. 
• Take back programs are the best way to dispose of old drugs. 

…. Due to the overwhelming success of the first event, DEA has scheduled the second National Prescription Drug Take Back Day which will take place on Saturday, April 30, 2011, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. This is a great opportunity for those who missed the first event or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of them. 
 
If you have unused or expired prescription medication, you can turn them in at the following Seattle Police Department Precincts for safe disposal. 

• North Precinct, 10049 College Way N, Seattle 98133 . 
• West Precinct, 810 Virginia ST, Seattle, 98101 . 
• East Precinct, 1519 12the Ave, Seattle, 98122 . 
• South Precinct, 3001 S. Myrtle ST, Seattle, 98108 . 
• Southwest Precinct, 2300 SW Webster ST, Seattle, 98106 

 
Intravenous solutions, injectibles, syringes or medical waste will not be accepted 
 
Drug turn-ins can also be done through the police departments and sheriff’s offices of other local jurisdictions, to include the Port of Seattle Police Department, the Seattle Office of the DEA, and Kitsap and Snohomish County locations among others. To find a prescription drug collection site nearest you, please go to the following link: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html 
 
For more information on prescription drug abuse and the national take back Initiative, please check out the following websites: 
www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html; www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com; 
www.justthinktwice.com 
 
Mark Solomon, Crime Prevention Coordinator, mark.solomon@seattle.gov, 206.386.9766