Prescription drug take back day

On Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Tehachapi Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will provide the public an opportunity to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

Bring your tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs for disposal to the Tehachapi Police Department at 220 West C Street. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps and illegal drugs will not be accepted. DEA will continue to accept vaping devices and cartridges at its drop off locations provided lithium batteries are removed. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

At its last Take Back Day in October 2021, DEA collected a high amount of expired, unwanted and unused prescription medications, with the public turning in close to 744,082 pounds, or 372 tons of unwanted drugs. Over the 11-year span of Take Back Day, DEA has brought in more than 15.2 million pounds of prescription drugs. With studies indicating a majority of abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets, clearing out unused medicine is essential.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the unprecedented rise in drug overdose deaths in the United States continues and has reached another record high. The CDC estimated that 106,854 people died due to a drug overdose in a 12-month period ending in November 2021, jumping 16% over the past year. One third of all overdose deaths occurred in fives states which includes California.

Helping people dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs is just one way the Tehachapi Police Department and the DEA is working to reduce addiction and stem overdose deaths.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 30 Take Back Day event, go to http://www.deatakeback.com or contact the Tehachapi Police Department at (661) 822-2222.