The 6th national Drug Take Back Initiative from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration comes up later this month on Saturday April 27th. The hours at all locations will be 10 am to 2 pm.
Five towns in the Panhandle will have sites…Alliance, Chadron, Crawford, Hemingford, and Sidney…with 2 locations in Hot Springs, SD, and sites in Torrington and Pine Bluff, Wyo. There is no collection site in Scottsbluff, but Regional West Medical Center holds similar events periodically.
National Drug Take-Back Day is intended to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of unwanted or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of these medications and the environmental danger of improper disposal
The 5th Drug Take-Back Day last September collected over 244 tons of medication nationwide…including over 6,200 pounds in Nebraska and over 400 pounds in the Panhandle, which had only 4 collection sites.
To date, the DEA and its state, local, and tribal law-enforcement and community partners have removed over 2 million pounds (1,020 tons) of medication from circulation.
The biggest concern is prescription medication. Box Butte General Hospital Clinical Pharmacist John Argyle says prescription medications send more children to emergency rooms than household cleaners, making it important to get rid of medications no longer being taken.
The 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that more than 6-million Americans abuse prescription drugs, with 70% of them getting the prescription pain relievers through friends or relatives, a statistic that includes raiding the family medicine cabinet.
Drop-off Sites in the Double Q Country/KCOW/B-94.7 listening area
Alliance – Box Butte General Hospital
Chadron – Tommy’s Car Lot
Crawford – Fire Hall
Hemingford – Police Department
Hot Springs – Shopko Pharmacy
Hot Springs – Lynn’s Dakota Mart Pharmacy
Pine Bluffs – Police Department
Sidney – Sonny’s Super Foods
Torrington – Police Department