On Saturday, October 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Rochester Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will allow the public that has been provided for over ten years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety, and national security threat. DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.

Bring your pills for disposal to the Rochester Police Department at 23 Wakefield Street, Rochester, NH on Saturday, October 28. Sites cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps. Only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked. Here’s what to expect:

• DEA will collect vape pens or other e‐cigarette devices from individual consumers only after the batteries are removed from the devices. It is important to stress that neither the Police Department nor the DEA is responsible for removing the batteries from the devices.
• If the battery cannot be removed, individual consumers can check with large electronic chain stores that may accept vape pens or e‐cigarette devices for proper disposal.
• Individual consumers may also contact their local Hazardous Materials Management Facility to determine if they accept these devices and for additional guidance regarding proper disposal.

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 overdoses 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.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 28 Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com