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Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting/Special Agent in Charge, John F. Kanig and U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced Monday the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day event, scheduled for Saturday, October 23rd on St. Croix and St. Thomas.
According to the release, this initiative addresses a serious public safety and public health issue which impacts communities throughout the United States. Now in its eleventh year, the National Take Back Day events continue to remove ever-higher amounts of opioids and other medicines from the nation’s homes, where they could be stolen and abused by family members and visitors, including children and teens. The DEA’s Take Back events provide an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths while providing an effective way to dispose of prescription drugs without harm to the environment.
“Too often, unused prescription drugs end up in the wrong hands,” said U.S. Attorney Shappert. “We are facing a national epidemic of drug abuse, some of which is fueled by outdated and unused prescription medications. DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back is an excellent opportunity for us to eliminate prescription drugs that have outlived their usefulness.”
According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives in 2019. The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
Helping people to dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs is just one way DEA is working to reduce the addiction and overdose deaths plaguing this country due to opioid medications.
Persons wishing to dispose of unused prescription drugs on St. Croix can take those prescriptions to the Gallows Bay and Kingshill Post Offices between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 23rd, 2021.
For disposal of unused prescriptions on St. Thomas, persons may take them to the Sugar Estate Post Office, also on Saturday, October 23rd, 2021, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
For more information on National Take-Back Day, please contact 1-800-882-9539, 571-362-4700 or visit https://takebackday.dea.gov. You can also click on the Partnership Toolbox option where you can find and download materials to promote the event. In addition to DEA’s National Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 23, prescription drugs can be disposed of any day throughout the year at any of the 11,000 authorized collectors. For more information on collection sites, visit: https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1
