LAKE CITY, Fla. — Organizers say 50 pounds of medication were collected and transferred to the Drug Enforcement Administration for incineration after a drug take-back day Saturday in Lake City.
On Saturday, Oct. 24, the Lake City Police Department participated in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
Prescription drug disposal was available at the Lake City Police Department starting at 10 a.m. and ended at 2 p.m.
During that time, anyone could discard any prescriptions anonymously.
This event was coordinated by the DEA “to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.”
“The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.9 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs," authorities said in a news release. "The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.”
“Community members often have expired prescriptions or prescriptions belonging to loved ones in their medicine cabinets,” Police Chief Dr. Argatha Gilmore said in a news release. “Being able to properly dispose of these medications anonymously and without question provides relief to citizens through knowing the medications will not end up in the wrong hand or damage our ecosystems.”
Year-round collection sites can be located by visiting here.
The local Walgreens also provides a year-round anonymous collection site.