Drug Take Back Event
On Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will provide the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to Walmart in Vernal, Stewart’s Marketplace in Roosevelt, and Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office in Duchesne. (Sites cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
This event is DEA’s 19th nationwide event since its inception 10 years ago.
Last fall, Americans turned in nearly 883,000 pounds of prescription drugs at nearly 6,300 sites operated by the DEA and almost 5,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners. DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, has now collected nearly 6,350 tons of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications since the inception of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative in 2010.
To keep everyone safe, collection sites will follow local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations.
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 United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, there are many other ways to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs every day, including the locally authorized collectors that are available all year long at the Uintah County Safety Complex, Roosevelt City Building, and the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office. This year, two additional drop boxes have been added at Uintah Basin Medical Center and Duchesne Valley Medical Clinic Pharmacy.