The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its eighth opportunity in four years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, or unwanted prescription drugs.
Bring your medications for disposal on Saturday, April 26th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the below listed collection sites. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Last October, Americans turned in 324 tons (over 647,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at over 4,114 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. In its seven previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 3.4 million pounds—more than 1,700 tons—of pills.
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 U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.
“The success of this program is evident with the 3.4 million pounds – more than 1,700 tons of pills that have been turned in over the previous seven events. It is critical that residents understand that their usual methods of disposing of unused medicines-flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash-both pose potential safety and health hazards,” said Sheriff John McMahon.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department will have twelve stations participating with the collection of these unused prescription medications. They will be open on Saturday, April 26h, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and no appointment is necessary. The participating sites are listed below:
[tabs type=”horizontal”][tabs_head][tab_title]Apple Valley[/tab_title][/tabs_head][tab]Apple Valley Police Department 760-240-7400 14931 Dale Evans Parkway, Apple Valley[/tab][/tabs]
[tabs type=”horizontal”][tabs_head][tab_title]Barstow[/tab_title][/tabs_head][tab]Barstow Sheriff’s Station 760-256-4838 225 East Mt. View, Barstow[/tab][/tabs]
[tabs type=”horizontal”][tabs_head][tab_title]Big Bear[/tab_title][/tabs_head][tab]Big Bear Sheriff’s Station 909-866-0100 477 Summit Blvd., Big Bear Lake[/tab][/tabs]
[tabs type=”horizontal”][tabs_head][tab_title]San Bernardino[/tab_title][/tabs_head][tab]Central Station 909-387-3545 655 East 3rd Street, San Bernardino[/tab][/tabs]
[tabs type=”horizontal”][tabs_head][tab_title]Chino Hills[/tab_title][/tabs_head][tab]Chino Hills Station 909- 364-2000 14077 Peyton Drive, Chino Hills[/tab][/tabs]
[tabs type=”horizontal”][tabs_head][tab_title]Hesperia[/tab_title][/tabs_head][tab]Hesperia Police Department 760-947-1500 15840 Smoke Tree Street, Hesperia[/tab][/tabs]
[tabs type=”horizontal”][tabs_head][tab_title]Highland[/tab_title][/tabs_head][tab]Highland Police Department 909-425-9793 26985 East Baseline, Highland[/tab][/tabs]
[tabs type=”horizontal”][tabs_head][tab_title]Morongo Basin[/tab_title][/tabs_head][tab]Morongo Basin Station 760-366-4175 63665 Twenty Nine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree[/tab][/tabs]
[tabs type=”horizontal”][tabs_head][tab_title]Rancho Cucamonga[/tab_title][/tabs_head][tab]Rancho Cucamonga Police Department 909-477-2800 10510 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga[/tab][/tabs]
[tabs type=”horizontal”][tabs_head][tab_title]Adelanto[/tab_title][/tabs_head][tab]Victor Valley Sheriff’s Station 760-552-6800 11613 Bartlett Avenue, Adelanto[/tab][/tabs]
[tabs type=”horizontal”][tabs_head][tab_title]Victorville[/tab_title][/tabs_head][tab]Victorville Police Department 760-241-2911 14200 Amargosa Road, Victorville[/tab][/tabs]
[tabs type=”horizontal”][tabs_head][tab_title]Yucaipa[/tab_title][/tabs_head][tab]Yucaipa Police Department 909-790-3105 34282 Yucaipa Boulevard, Yucaipa[/tab][/tabs]
We encourage every citizen to look in their homes for any old, unused prescription medication and bring them to one of the listed collection sites for disposal. If you have any questions, contact the Sheriff’s Public Affairs Division at (909)387-3700 or any public inquiries can be made to 1-800-882-9539.
In addition to the collection sites listed above, additional locations throughout Southern California can be found by visiting www.dea.gov and clicking on the “Got Drugs?” icon.
For additional information pertaining to DEA and prescription drug abuse, visit www.dea.gov, www.justthinktwice.gov, or www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com.
source: San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Press Release
