Darien police have issued the following news release:
The Darien Health Department and the Darien Police Department in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have scheduled another National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 27, 2013, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Darien Recycling Center, 126 Ledge Rd.
This is a great opportunity for those who missed the previous events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those medications.
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Editor's note: And here's a news release issued Friday by the U.S. Justice Department on the wider "Take Back Day" effort:
John J. Arvanitis, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, as well as our community, public health and law enforcement partners are reminding the public of the sixth nationwide Prescription Drug “Take-Back” Day.
DEA will be collecting potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction at sites nationwide on Saturday, April, 27th 2013 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The service is free and anonymous – no questions asked. 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.
“Prescription drug abuse is a serious problem in New England and throughout our nation. The abuse of these drugs damages our families and communities. This take back day is an opportunity for everyone to remove these potentially dangerous prescriptions from their homes, thus diminishing the temptation of illicit use, potential theft and resale of these drugs,” said Special Agent in Charge Arvanitis.
“DEA and our law enforcement partners stand together and are committed to this drug take back program.”
The New England Field Division collected 38,694 pounds of prescription medications during the September 2012 DEA “Take-Back” initiative.
In New England, there were 539 return sites and 503 participating agencies. Nationwide, over 488,395 pounds of unwanted or unneeded prescriptions were recovered.
Four days after DEA’s first Take Back event two years ago, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them.
The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances. DEA is in the process of drafting regulations to implement the Act.
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