YPD and YCSO are participating in National Prescription Take-Back Day

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will hold its National Prescription Drug Take Back this weekend and both the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office and Yuma Police Department will be providing drop-off locations.

The event, which gives the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse, accidental poisonings and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired and unwanted prescription drugs, is being held on Saturday, Oct. 23

Medications for disposal can be dropped off at the YCSO Foothills substation, located at 13190 E. South Frontage Road from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or the Yuma Police station, located at 1500 S. 1st. Avenue.

The service is free to the public at both locations, with solid forms of prescription drugs such as tablets, pills, capsules, patches being collected.

The YCSO will also accept vaping devices and cartridges provided lithium batteries are removed.

Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharp or illegal drugs will not be accepted.

This is the second drug take-back event the YCSo has hosted this year. During the April event the substation collected approximately 268 pounds of medication, which was safely disposed of.

According to the DEA, the initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.

Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to misuse and abuse.

rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the numbers of accidental poisonings and overdoses to these drugs.

Studies have shown that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, and are taken from home medicine cabinets.

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.