Get Rid Of Unused Prescription Drugs At Gig Harbor Event

GIG HARBOR, WA — The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will hold its annual prescription medication Take Back Day on April 24, and the Gig Harbor Police Department is taking part.

Community members are invited to drop off their unwanted prescriptions at the Gig Harbor Civic Center at 3510 Grandview St, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Participants can dispose of tablets, capsules and other solid forms of prescriptions at the event. Liquids, syringes and other illegal drugs will not be accepted. Vaping devices will be accepted if their lithium battery has been removed.

Opioid overdose deaths spiked during the pandemic, the DEA reported. Many drug addictions begin with prescriptions. Some 83,544 Americans died between July 1, 2019, and July 1, 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That was the most overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period.

The increase in overdoses began before the pandemic but accelerated sharply in the first few months of COVID-19's spread. Many people battling addiction abused prescriptions taken from family and friends, so clearing out the medicine cabinet is essential, the DEA said.

"Helping people dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs is just one way DEA is working to reduce addiction and stem overdose deaths," said DEA Detroit Field Division Special Agent Keith Martin. "Take Back Day is not only a great opportunity to rid your home of unused medication, but is also a time to have important conversations about proper use and storage of prescription medication."

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is an organized effort to crack down on the opioid epidemic by safely disposing of unused medication, keeping the pills out of the hands of drug users. The 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 9.7 million Americans misused prescription pain relievers, 5.9 million more misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives, and 4.9 misused stimulants in 2019 alone. Of those misused drugs, the majority were taken from family and friends, often pilfered from home medicine cabinets, the DEA says.

The DEA's last drug take back event in October collected a total 492.7 tons of drugs at 4,587 collection sites across the country.

Patch Staffer Chris Mosby contributed to this report.