San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon claims, “The success of this program is evident with
the 4.1 million pounds – more than 2,100 tons of pills that have been turned in
over the previous eight events. It is critical that residents understand
that their usual methods of disposing of unused medicines pose potential safety
and health hazards,”
9th Nationwide Prescription
TAKE-BACK
DAY
The San
Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
will give the public its ninth opportunity in four years to prevent pill abuse
and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, or
unwanted prescription drugs.
Saturday,
September 27 beginning at 10:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M., bring pills for disposal to any one of the twelve participating stations listed below. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
In April
2013, Americans turned in 390 tons (over
780,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at nearly 6,100 sites operated by the
DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. In its
eight previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 4.1 million
pounds—more than 2,100 tons—of pills.
This
initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.
Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to
diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are
alarmingly high, as are 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.
In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing
of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the
trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.
Participating Take-Back
Collection sites are:
Apple
Valley Police Department 760-240-7400
14931
Dale Evans Parkway, Apple Valley
Barstow
Sheriff’s Station 760-256-4838
225
East Mt. View, Barstow
Big
Bear Sheriff’s Station 909-866-0100
477
Summit Blvd., Big Bear Lake
Central
Station 909-387-3545
655
East 3rd Street, San Bernardino
Chino
Hills Station 909- 364-2000
14077
Peyton Drive, Chino Hills
Hesperia
Police Department 760-947-1500
15840
Smoke Tree Street, Hesperia
Highland
Police Department 909-425-9793
26985
East Baseline, Highland
Morongo
Basin Station 760-366-4175
63665
Twenty Nine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree
Rancho
Cucamonga Police Department 909-477-2800
10510
Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga
Victor
Valley Sheriff’s Station 760-552-6800
11613
Bartlett Avenue, Adelanto
Victorville
Police Department 760-241-2911
14200
Amargosa Road, Victorville
Yucaipa
Police Department 909-790-3105
34282
Yucaipa Boulevard, Yucaipa
We
encourage every citizen to look in their homes for any old, unused prescription
medication and bring them to one of the listed collection sites for disposal.
If you have any questions, contact the Sheriff’s Public Affairs Division at
909. 387.3700 or any public inquiries can be made to 1-800-882-9539.
In
addition to the collection sites listed above, additional locations throughout
Southern California can be found by visiting www.dea.gov and clicking on the “Got Drugs?” icon.
For
additional information pertaining to DEA and prescription drug abuse, visit www.dea.gov,www.justthinktwice.gov,
or www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com.