Saturday is Drug Take Back Day

This Saturday, April 28, is the day to eliminate all those unused prescription medications from around the house.

In conjunction with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Drug Take Back program, the Marble Falls Police Department, Burnet County Sheriff's Office and an area pharmacy will host locations where people can anonymously dispose of outdated and unused prescription drugs.

No questions or requests for identification will be made, and medication labels will not be read. Syringes/needles, "sharps," and scalpels, however cannot be accepted.

“Unused prescriptions sometimes seem like 'fair game' to kids who might ingest them or people from out of the household who might take them for illegal consumption,” said Marble Falls Police Chief Mark Whitaker. “On Saturday, someone will be on hand from 10 a.m.-2p.m. at the Public Safety Facility (606 Avenue N, Marble Falls) to man a drop-off box in the lobby.”

During that same time period you can bring your old medications and prescriptions to the Burnet County Sheriff's Office 1601 East Polk Street in Burnet, for proper disposal.

From 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Lakes Area Health Mart Pharmacy, 608 Buchanan Drive in Burnet, will accept them as well.

The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has grown out of the crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.4 million Americans abused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

Take-back is now limited to prescription drugs, however. People can even leave out-of-date over-the-counter medications at the drop-off points.

Proper disposal of drugs addresses still another issue of growing concern—drugs in the water supply. An Associated Press investigation learned that traces of everything from antibiotics to hormones and mood stabilizers could be found in 24 major metropolitan areas—just one more reason to dispose of any drug properly.

Have a friend in another town looking for a take back location? The DEA has a website with a locator for more than 5,000 take-back sites and information about drug-related resources: http://bit.ly/2HRNtN7.