The Hartsville Police Department will be participating in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day this Saturday, April 27 at Rite Aid, found at 844 S. Fifth St.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., those interested are invited to bring any expired or unused prescription drugs or over-the-counter drugs for safe disposal. Police officers will be on site to collect the medications. The service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked.
The Drug Enforcement Administration began organizing Take-Back Days to reduce the potential for prescription drug abuse and to raise awareness of the hazards created by either throwing medicine away or flushing it down the toilet. Old medicines which remain in storage are often misused or abused, sometimes by family members or friends of the intended user, and can result in overdoses and accidental poisonings.
So far, thousands of community partners and law enforcement agencies, including the Hartsville Police Department, have taken more than 2 million pounds, or more than 1,000 tons, of medication out of circulation nationwide.