SWAMPSCOTT – The next TAKE BACK Day of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will occur on October 29 at 10:00 a.m. The Police Department encourages people to bring their unwanted drugs to the collection box at the office, or any collection site locally.
Doing so would decrease the chance of drug overdose, according to the DEA. The DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is a commitment to solve the drug overdose epidemic in the United States. On top of that, it could potentially benefit the environment due to reducing uncontrolled medical disposal.
“It is a great program. It reminds people that medication can fall into the wrong hands especially children,” said Sergeant Candace Doyle.
The last TAKE BACK Day result showed that the DEA collected a total of 360 tons of medication throughout the nation in April 2022.
The police department has a medication drop off box year-round, but the DEA does a collection twice a year encouraging people to clean out their medicine cabinets to get rid of unused medications. On average the department collects about 25lbs of unwanted medication during the Take Back, according to Doyle.
Also, during the DEA TAKE BACK time frame, liquid medication and creams are accepted in the original packaging in a Ziplock bag to prevent leaks. Additionally, Pet medication is also accepted.
“If you don’t live in Swampscott, contact your local police department and see if they participate in the DEA TAKE BACK or have a medication drop off,” said Doyle. Also, CVS locations have a medication drop off too. Another way to locate a collection site is to put in your zip code at https://www.dea.gov/takebackday.
Sylvia Chen can be reached at [email protected]
