DEA Prepares for Prescription Drug Take Back Day

          Acting United States Attorney SHAWN N. ANDERSON, for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI), will join the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on October 28th for its 14th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.  The biannual event will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at thousands of collection sites around the country, including here in Guam and the NMI.  The event is an effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

          Last April Americans turned in 450 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners.  Overall, in its 13 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds—more than 4,050 tons—of pills.  The disposal service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.  (The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches.)

          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.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose.  Some painkiller abusers move on to heroin:  Four out of five new heroin users started with painkillers.

          Flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash pose potential safety and health hazards.  This initiative addresses the public safety and public health issues that surround medications languishing in home cabinets, becoming highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.

          The following sites in Guam and in the NMI are designated to receive unused prescription drugs so please stop by on Saturday, October 28, 2017, between 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the:

• Agana Shopping Center (Across Vitamin World)
• Andersen Air Force Base Exchange (Inside Entrance)
• Naval Base Guam (Navy Exchange Food Court)
• Saipan Commonwealth Health Center (in front of the pharmacy)
• Rota Health Center
• Tinian Health Center

Contact DEA Special Agent Dave Stubbs at 671-472-7384 regarding any questions about prescription drug abuse and/or any concerns regarding drug related activity on Guam or in the NMI.   

For more information, go to www.dea.gov, www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com, or www.justthinktwice.com.