On October 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Camden Police Department, in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Take your pills for disposal to Camden Police Department at 31 Washington Street. (Police cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last April, Americans turned in several tons of prescription drugs at nearly 9,500 sites nationwide. When those results are combined with what was collected in its nine previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 7 million pounds of prescription medications.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that sit in home cabinets are highly susceptible to theft, 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 of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 28, Take Back Day event, call the Camden PD at 236-7953.