All five Seattle Police Department precincts will accept expired and unused prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday as part of National Drug Take Back Day.
SPD will properly dispose of unwanted medications in pill or patch form (they can’t accept liquids, needles or sharps). It’s free and anonymous, no questions asked.
The North Precinct is at 10049 College Way N., next to North Seattle Community College near Northgate.
Last spring Americans turned in nearly 475 tons (949,046 pounds) of prescription drugs at more than 5,800 sites operated by the DEA and almost 4,700 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 15 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in almost 10 million pounds – nearly 5,000 tons – of pills.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoes due to these drugs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines – flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash – both pose potential safety and health hazards.
