Annual Drug Take Back Day For Expired, Unwanted Drugs To Be Held Saturday
MARTINEZ (CBS SF) -- The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration are hosting a Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, sheriff's officials announced.
The event is part of a National Prescription Drug Take Back Day; other Bay Area counties and cities will hold similar events. Facebook, Twitter, and Google will also participate by launching tools to help direct people wanting to safely dispose of unused medicines.
A drop-off site for potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs will be set up from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at several locations from across Contra Costa County including:
- Office of the Sheriff Muir Station, 1980 Muir Road, Martinez (Field Operations Building)
- Office of the Sheriff Bay Station, 5555 Giant Highway, Richmond (West County Detention Facility)
- Office of the Sheriff Delta Station, 9100 Brentwood Blvd., Brentwood
- Danville Police Department, 510 La Gonda Way, Danville
- Orinda Police Department, 22 Orinda Way, Orinda
The event is held every year to help community members prevent pill abuse, theft and overdose.
The drop-off site will not accept needles and sharps, and liquids in their original packages, pills and patches will be accepted. Vaping cartridges and devices with batteries removed will also be accepted.
The service is free and anonymous, and individuals must adhere to COVID-19 guidelines and regulations
According to the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs, the Sheriff's Office said.
Last fall, approximately 883,000 pounds of prescription drugs were turned-in to DEA drop-off sites across the nation; just a fragment of the 6,359 tons of prescription drugs collected since the inception of the initiative in 2010.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Take Back event, visit the DEA Office of Diversion Control website at www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov.
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