National drug take-back day set for later this month

Mercy Health Center and the Bourbon County Sheriff's Department are partnering with the Drug Enforcement Administration for the second National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 29.

More than 4,700 sites nationwide have joined the effort that seeks to prevent pill abuse and theft. The free event will be held in Fort Scott from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of Mercy Urgent Care at 1624 S. National Ave.

Government, community, public health and law enforcement partners at these sites will be working together to collect expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs that are potentially dangerous if left in the family's medicine cabinet, a news release said.

"Proper disposal of unused or expired medications is not only responsible, it is important for the health and safety of others," Mercy's Pharmacy Services Director Craig Campbell said. "We encourage you to carefully examine your medicines and the medicines for those whom you care for and take this opportunity to dispose of them properly."

"This is also an eco-friendly way to dispose of these medications," Campbell added.

Law enforcement officials are the only people authorized to take back medications, hence coordination with the Bourbon County Sheriff's Department is necessary.

The day is designed to offer a no-questions-asked prescription drug disposal station where individuals may simply drive through and dump the products.

The Mercy Medical Clinic of Linn County will also host a National Take-Back Day on Oct. 29 at Baker's Thriftway in Pleasanton from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and at City Hall in LaCygne during the same timeframe.

In September 2010, Americans turned in over 242,000 pounds -- 121 tons -- of prescription drugs at nearly 4,100 sites operated by more than 3,000 of the DEA's state and local law enforcement partners. Also last fall, Congress passed the Safe and Secure Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow users of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them, the release said.

The act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long-term care facilities to dispose of their residents' controlled substances in certain instances. DEA is presently drafting regulations to implement the act.

Collection sites in every local community can be found by going to www.dea.gov and clicking on the "Got Drugs?" banner at the top of the home page, which connects to a database that citizens can search by zip code, city or county.

This site is continuously updated with new take-back locations.