Local authorities are taking drugs -- back, that is.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office has announced it will participate Sept. 25 in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s inaugural “Take-Back” initiative, which is designed to curb prescription medication abuse and theft.
Sheriff’s Capt. Frank Huggins said residents will be able to drop off their unwanted or expired pills between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the agency's north and south precincts. The service is free and anonymous.
According to information provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, “medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse."
Prescription drug abuse rates in the nation are increasing, as are accidental poisonings and overdoses due to the drugs.
The justice department notes that throwing old or unwanted prescriptions in the trash or flushing them down the toilet are improper ways to dispose of the drugs.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler said in a statement that the campaign encourages residents to “to rid their households of unused prescription drugs that pose a safety hazard and can contribute to prescription drug abuse.”
Gil Kerlikowske, director of National Drug Control Policy, said prescription drug abuse is the nation’s fastest-growing drug problem and take-back events are a tool to fight it.
“The federal, state and local collaboration represented in this initiative is key in our national efforts to reduce pharmaceutical drug diversion and abuse,” Kerlikowske said in a statement.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office has announced it will participate Sept. 25 in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s inaugural “Take-Back” initiative, which is designed to curb prescription medication abuse and theft.
Sheriff’s Capt. Frank Huggins said residents will be able to drop off their unwanted or expired pills between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the agency's north and south precincts. The service is free and anonymous.
According to information provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, “medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse."
Prescription drug abuse rates in the nation are increasing, as are accidental poisonings and overdoses due to the drugs.
The justice department notes that throwing old or unwanted prescriptions in the trash or flushing them down the toilet are improper ways to dispose of the drugs.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler said in a statement that the campaign encourages residents to “to rid their households of unused prescription drugs that pose a safety hazard and can contribute to prescription drug abuse.”
Gil Kerlikowske, director of National Drug Control Policy, said prescription drug abuse is the nation’s fastest-growing drug problem and take-back events are a tool to fight it.
“The federal, state and local collaboration represented in this initiative is key in our national efforts to reduce pharmaceutical drug diversion and abuse,” Kerlikowske said in a statement.