Once again, the community will have the opportunity to turn in prescription drugs, no questions asked, next weekend during National Prescription Drug Take Back day.
The event is held by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Plant City Police Department will sponsor a prescription drug turn-in location from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 24 at CVS Pharmacy, 2302 James L. Redman Parkway.
“This is something we think is really a great thing for the community,” PCPD Lieutenant Al Van Duyne said. “We’ll have officers there at CVS ready to take any of the prescription medication people want to drop off. It’s a way for the community to kind of have some peace of mind that their medications will be taken care of safely and disposed of properly.”
PCPD is partnering with the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance to participate in the national event and hopes the experience will help address a “crucial public safety and public health issue.”
According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives in 2019. The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
When you come by CVS with your prescriptions, a few officers will be on site to safely collect the drugs. The no questions asked policy helps those who have unwanted or outdated drugs to dispose of the pills safely and without fear of doing so incorrectly. Unused medications can lead to potential accidental poisoning, misuse and overdose.
Van Duyne said this method is far safer than simply throwing the drugs away in your trash, as you never know who could rifle through the garbage and get their hands on the pills. You also don’t want to leave them around the house as they could later become an issue if you unknowingly take expired medication thinking it is a current prescription, or if someone in your home ends up ingesting the pills.
If you have prescription drugs you wish to get rid of but cannot make it to the take back day, you can still get rid of your pills at a public controlled substance disposal location, including two locations in Plant City. You can look up the closest location to you at takebackday.dea.gov.