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For those that have any unwanted or expired prescriptions, Saturday, April 26, is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. The drop-off location will be at the Fairfield Police Department at 100 Reef Road from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. There will be a prescription drug drop-off box in the lobby of the Fairfield Police Department for any expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.
All prescription drugs can be dropped off for free (no needles accepted). Disposal instructions are posted on the front of the box. All medications can be disposed of safely and confidentially. No personal information is collected. Once the container is full, the contents are weighed and then properly disposed of by incineration.
“This Drug Take-Back Day initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Prescription drugs that languish in home medicine cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse and it provides an environmentally safe way to dispose of unwanted prescription medications,” said Kupchick, also a member of the legislature’s Public Safety and Security committee.
According to the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration, rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high with more Americans (6.8 million) currently abusing prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens such as LSD, and inhalants combined. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that 90 percent of addictions start in the teenage years and prescription medications is the most commonly used drugs among 12- to 13-year-olds. Two-thirds of teens who abuse pain relievers say they get them from their family members and friends.
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