Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Seeks to Help Curb Medication Abuse

Centre Region residents will be able to safely dispose of old and unused prescription medications from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday at Giant Foods, 255 Northland Center in Ferguson Township.

Giant is the local collection site for National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which is sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to provide a safe and responsible way of disposing prescription medication while educating the public about the potential for medication abuse.

The collection will be staffed by Ferguson Township Police, but the service is free and anonymous and no questions will be asked. Only pills or patches can be collected as liquids and needles cannot be accepted.

According to the DEA, medicines that languish in homes contribute to the high rates of prescription drug abuse, accidental poisonings and overdoses in the United States. Abused prescription drugs are most often obtained from family and friends.

The collection also prevents unused medicines from being thrown in the trash or flushed down the toilet, which pose safety and health hazards.