The Grenada Police Department is encouraging residents to clean out their medicine cabinets this week and dispose of unwanted prescription drugs properly this weekend.
As part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Drug Take Back Day, representatives with the GPD will be on hand from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. this Saturday, April 26, in the Walgreens Pharmacy parking lot located at 329 Sunset Dr., offering free, anonymous disposal of unneeded medications. More than 4,000 local drop-off locations will be available nationwide as part of the DEA’s twice annual program.
“Unused drugs that are flushed contaminate the water supply and is not good for us,” GPD Investigator Sean Wilbourn explained. “That’s why you have the option of being able to drop your unused medication off, so that we can keep our community and environment safe.”
The GPD will collect tablets, capsules, patches and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids, syringes and other sharps and illicit drugs will not be accepted. The DEA will accept vaping devices and cartridges provided lithium batteries are removed.
According to published studies, overdose deaths are up 16 percent in the last year, claiming more than 290 lives every day. More than 106,000 people died as the result of a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending November 2021, marking the most drug-related deaths ever recorded, with opioid-related deaths accounting for 75 percent of all overdose deaths.
Unused prescription drugs thrown in the trash can also be retrieved and abused or illegally sold. Proper disposal of unused drugs saves lives and protects the environment.
