Wethersfield Police Department Prescription Drug Take Back Day Set For April 24

From the Town of Wethersfield:

April 5, 2021

On Saturday, April 24, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Wethersfield Police Department and the
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will provide the public the opportunity to prevent pill
abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted
prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to the Wethersfield Police Department at 250
Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield, CT (sites cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills
or patches). The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

This April’s event is DEA’s 20th nationwide event since its inception 10 years ago. At its last
Take Back Day in October, DEA collected a record-high amount of expired, unwanted, and
unused prescription medications, with the public turning in close to 500 tons of unwanted drugs.
Over the 10-year span of Take Back Day, DEA has brought in more than 6,800 tons of
prescription drugs. With studies indicating a majority of abused prescription drugs come from
family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets, clearing out unused medicine is essential.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. has seen an increase in
overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 83,544 Americans overdosing during the
12-month period ending July 1, 2020, the most ever recorded in a 12-month period. The increase
in drug overdose deaths appeared to begin prior to the COVID-19 health emergency, but
accelerated significantly during the first months of the pandemic.

DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription
drugs. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs will
not be accepted. DEA will continue to accept vaping devices and cartridges at its drop off
locations provided lithium batteries are removed.

To keep everyone safe, collection sites will follow local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations.

In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, there are many other ways to
dispose of unwanted prescription drugs every day, including the 11,000 authorized collectors that
are available all year long. For more information, visit DEA’s year-round collection site locator.
For more information about the April 24 Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com
or contact Sgt. Jennie E. Rivera of the Wethersfield Police Department at 860-721-2742.

This press release was produced by the Town of Wethersfield. The views expressed are the author's own.