DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION CONDUCTS FOURTH COASTAL BEND PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE-BACK DAY ON APRIL 26, 2014
“Living Drug Free Starts at Home”
(Corpus Christi, TX) – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), along with the Corpus Christi, Aransas Pass, Portland, Sinton, and Alice Police Departments and the Kleberg County Sheriff’s Office, will provide the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. On Saturday, April 26th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., DEA along with its local law enforcement partners nation-wide will host the Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. This is a free service and nine Take-Back locations will be available within the Coastal Bend Community.
Last October, Americans turned in 324 tons (over 647,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at over 4,114 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. When those results are combined with what was collected in its seven previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 3.4 million pounds—more than 1,700 tons—of pills.
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. 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 unused medicines – flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash – pose potential safety and health hazards.
“Prescription drug abuse is a major epidemic across the country and DEA is committed to reducing the potential for misuse by providing a safe and secure method for Americans to clean out their medicine cabinets and properly dispose of unwanted, unneeded, or expired medication,” said DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “This nationwide community effort prevents home medicine cabinets from becoming sources of dangerous – and even deadly – drugs.”
DEA is in the process of approving new regulations that implement the Safe and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances. DEA is in the process of drafting regulations to implement the Act.
Coastal Bend Collection Sites are listed below:
- Kiii TV 5002 South Padre Island Drive Corpus Christi
- HEB 3033 S. Port Avenue Corpus Christi
- HEB 5313 SaratogaBlvd Corpus Christi
- HEB (Flour Bluff) 1145 WaldronRd. Corpus Christi
- HEB (Annaville) 11100 Leopard St. Corpus Christi
- HEB 1600 Wildcat Blvd. Portland
- HEB 409 E. Kleberg Kingsville
- HEB (Aransas Pass) 101 E. Goodnight Avenue Aransas Pass
- HEB (Sinton) 106 S. San Patricio Sinton
- HEB (ALICE) 1115 E. Main St. Alice
For more information and collection sites nation-wide, please visit www.dea.gov.
U.S. Department of Justice
Drug Enforcement Administration
Houston Field Division
Corpus Christi Resident Office
http://www.dea.gov Date: April 8, 2014
Contact: Richard G. Thomas
Resident Agent in Charge
Number: (361) 887-1200
CCPD Blotter 