Baldwin Park residents can bring potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted medications on October 26 to a anonymous drop-off location at Kaiser Permanente's facility at 1011 Baldwin Park Blvd.
The medical company has partnered with the Baldwin Park Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to run the event, which will go from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Items that will be accepted include controlled substances/prescriptions, non-controlled substances/prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, and veterinary medications (pills and solids only). Items that will not be accepted include liquid waste products, intravenous solutions, injectables, syringes, hazardous or household waste (paint, oil, batteries, etc.).
Kaiser notes that expired medicine can be a hazard for potential drug addiction and also environmentally dangerous:
"This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that waste away 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."
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