Collection sites in Vermont can be found by going to dea.gov or calling 1-800-882-9539.
Neighboring counties, like Madera, also will participate in this month’s Drug Take-Back Day.
“The improper disposal of pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter drugs has also been reported to negatively impact the environment and public health, as some drugs cannot be safely flushed or poured down drains because wastewater facilities are not designed to remove them, “said Rep. Pamela Staneski, R-Milford”. “Diversion of prescription painkillers is especially unsafe and helps to fuel the opiate and heroin crisis we’re working to combat”.
As a follow-up to a number of bills the State Legislature passed last session in our fight against drug abuse and addiction, I am working with Rep. John Nygren on legislation seeking to improve prescription drug dispensing in Wisconsin to prevent highly addictive and powerful medications from being abused. “Diverted drugs contribute to Vermont’s opiate epidemic”.
The county sheriff’s department secures the prescription drugs until they are collected by DEA officials and burned at an undisclosed location. The Wisconsin Department of Justice has worked together with local law enforcement agencies for several years to conduct Prescription Drug Take-Back Days. Four percent of Vermonters age 12 and over misused a prescription pain reliever in 2012, according to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
DEA studies show that many abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.
“Each year the programs grown, us along with the (Drug Enforcement Agency) and other police departments do a public relations push to get the word out”, Matsen said.
Participants can dispose of medication in its original container or by removing the medication from its container and disposing of it directly into the disposal box.
When those results are combined with what was collected in its eight previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 4.8 million pounds of pills.