Take Back Your Prescription Drugs In Grafton

GRAFTON, MA—The town of Grafton is joining hundreds across the country and taking part in the National Drug Take Back Initiative on Saturday, April 28.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day "aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications."

The take-back happens from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and residents can safely dispose of unwanted, unused, expired prescriptions by dropping them off at the Grafton Police Department.

Take-Back Day is in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to give the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. The DEA only accepts pills or patches.

The Grafton Board of Health is also on hand to collect unwanted sharps (needles and syringes) for disposal. These items must be kept separate from the prescription drugs. The service is free and anonymous; no questions asked.

At the last Drug Take Back event held in October, according to the DEA in a statement, Americans nationwide did their part to reduce the opioid crisis by bringing the DEA and its more than 4,200 local and tribal law enforcement partners a record-setting 912,305 pounds—456 tons—of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for disposal at more than 5,300 collection sites. That is almost six tons more than was collected at last spring’s event. This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the fall of 2010 to 9,015,668 pounds, or 4,508 tons.

"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"

Find the closest prescription drug take-back participant near you here.

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