Sheriff’s office ‘taking back’ drugs

Acadia Parish Sheriff Wayne Melancon has announced its participation in National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which is Saturday, April 26.

The parish’s disposal site will be at Walgreens, located at 806 Odd Fellows Road in Crowley. The sheriff’s office will be collecting the drugs for disposal from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the location.

Melancon is encouraging residents to turn in any unused or expired prescription medication for Safe Disposal. Agents with the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s will be working with the Louisiana Drug Enforcement Agency for this project.

The public can find a nearby collection site by visiting www.dea.gov, clicking on the “Got Drugs?” icon, and following the links to a database where they enter their zip code, or they can call 800-882-9539.

This event is part of the eighth annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day which will be held Saturday. It is sponsored by the DEA and more than 4,200 national, tribal and community law enforcement partners nationwide.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. 

Unused medications in homes create a public health and safety concern because they are highly susceptible to accidental ingestion, theft, misuse and abuse. DEA reports that almost twice as many Americans (6.8 million) currently abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin and inhalants combined, according to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. And more Americans died in 2010 from overdoses of prescription medications (22,134, including 16,651 from narcotic painkillers) than from motor vehicle accidents, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Studies show that the majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

DEA will have over 5,600 collection sites across the country on Saturday, April 26, for those who are interested in bringing their unused or expired prescription drugs for proper disposal. Only pills and other solids, like patches, can be brought to the collection sites – liquids and needles or other sharp objects will not be accepted. The collections sites will be open between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. local times. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.