Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, Oct. 24
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24. Several local police departments have collection events scheduled or drop-boxes open for people to safely dispose of medication.
Brooklyn Center Police are partnering with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at both the Cub Foods on County Road 10 in Brooklyn Center and the police department building located on Humboldt Avenue. The event at Cub Foods is a drive-by event, where people do not have to get out of their cars to hand off medication to deputies and staff who will be wearing masks and social distancing.
Vaping and e-cigarette devices will also be collected at the event. All devices must have the battery removed before collection. Deputies will not collect devices with batteries still installed.
Deputies will also hand out free Deterra medication disposal pouches for residents who may have additional medications at home that they wish to dispose of properly. Deterra bags have been made available via partnerships with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Foundation and the Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI) of Minnesota.
“We are pleased to be hosting another Drug Take Back Day event,” said Sheriff David Hutchinson, in a press release. “The opioid addiction crisis hasn’t gone away during the pandemic. In fact, by many measures, it has gotten worse. Fortunately, we now know enough about managing the pandemic that we can safely host an outdoor collection event. And prescription painkillers remain the primary gateway into opioid abuse.”
The Osseo Police Department and Brooklyn Park Police Department also are offering collection events.
According to the DEA’s website, the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.9 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
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