FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT

Major Lafayette Woods, Jr.

Operation Commander/Public Information Officer

870.541.5351-OFFICE/870.329.5652-CELL

Email: lafayette.woods@jeffcoso.org

JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE SET TO PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL DRUG TAKE-BACK EVENT: Jefferson County, Arkansas – September 24, 2015-The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Tri-County Drug Task Force, two agencies dedicated to fighting the abuse and misuse of prescription medication invite area residents to safely dispose of unwanted and expired medicines.

 

On Saturday, September 26th 2015 from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. as part of this year’s 10th National Take-Back Initiative, we are giving the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.  We ask that you bring your medications for disposal to the following collection site: 

• Brookshire’s located at 2800 S. Hazel Street in Pine Bluff, AR., where the Sheriff’s Office Mobile Incident Command Center will be on sight. 

We cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

During last year’s 9th Annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back conducted on September 27, 2014, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners, working at more than 5,495 collection sites, collected 617,150 pounds (309 ton) of prescription medications that were ultimately removed from circulation.

When those results are combined with what was collected in its eight previous Take Back events nationwide from 2010-2014, DEA and its partners have taken in over 4,823,251 lbs or 2,411 tons of drugs from members of the public at locations throughout the U.S. This is due largely to the efforts of our agency and others alike nationwide that assist with overseeing collection sites that collect more and more prescription pills each year. The initiative demonstrates the American public’s continued appreciation and need for the opportunity to discard unwanted, unused and expired prescription drugs from medicine cabinets, bedside tables, and kitchen drawers.

“The Prescription Drug Take-Back initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. A great number of people in our community have been directed or indirectly affected by prescription drug abuse and misuse, and this event allows local residents to be part of the solution. Disposing of unused or unwanted medications in a safe and secure environment is a critical step in fighting this devastating public safety health problem.”

Collection sites in every local community can be found by going to www.dea.gov . This site will be continuously updated with new take-back locations.