By Kristy Deer
HANCOCK COUNTY — The Drug Enforcement Administration and local partners are sponsoring the 19th nationwide Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 24.
The initiative is designed to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft through proper disposal of unused prescription drugs.
Locally, the Neighbors Against Substance Abuse program will collect expired and unused drugs from 9 a.m. to noon at the Greenfield Banking Co. main branch, 1920 N. State Street, Greenfield; and the GBC Fortville branch, 111 W. Broadway St., Fortville.
Drop-off will be a drive-through format.
Other collection sites will be set up around the state and nationwide. The program is for medication in liquid and pill form. Vaping pens without batteries and vaping cartridges will also be taken. Needles, new or used, will not be accepted for disposal.
This service is free and anonymous with no questions asked, the Indiana State Police said in a news release.
The initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue, the state police said in the news release. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are high, as is 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, according to the state police.
The usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — pose both potential safety and health hazards. Traces of chemicals found in medicine have been detected in water supplies around the country, for example.
In addition to the Hancock County drop-off sites, people may also take their unwanted medications to state police posts. A list of posts is available at the Indiana State Police website at www.in.gov/isp/2382.htm. More information also is available at the DEA website at www.dea.gov.
