City of Prospect Heights issued the following announcement on Oct. 17.
Police are inviting residents to clean out their medicine cabinets and bring expired, unwanted or unused over-the-counter and prescription medications for proper disposal.
The Drug Enforcement Administration sponsors National Pharmaceutical Take-Back Day. Besides keeping prescription drugs out of the wrong hands, it also has the benefit of keeping the drugs out of the water supply.
The National Prescription Drug Take-Back addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Many Americans are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
Studies show that many abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.
In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potential safety and health hazards.
Original source can be found here.
Source: City of Prospect Heights
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