ROCKDALE COUNTY – The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office will be a host site for the DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.  On Saturday, September 26, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office and 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.  Bring your medications for disposal to the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office Headquarters Building lobby at 911 Chambers Drive.  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

In the previous nine Take-Back events nationwide from 2010-2014, 4,823,251 pounds, or 2,411 tons of drugs were collected at sites operated by the DEA, state local, and tribal law enforcement partners across the nation.

According to Sheriff Eric Levett, “This is a great opportunity to properly dispose of expired or unused medications.  I encourage all Rockdale County residents, especially those with children in their homes, to take the time to go through their medicine cabinet and dispose of unwanted or expired prescriptions.”

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 the home medicine cabinet including family and friends.  In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines, such as flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, both pose potential safety and health hazards.