The City of Chula Vista will be participating in the annual National Drug Take Back Day to provide the public with an opportunity to dispose of unwanted prescription medication.
The free event will take place on Oct, 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m at the Chula Vista Public Works Center located at 1800 Maxwell Road. The city is hosting the event In partnership with the Chula Vista Environmental Services Division, the Chula Vista Police Department, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“The event is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Please note that sites cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps; only pills or patches,” a city spokesperson wrote in a statement.
A total of 360 tons of prescription drugs were collected last April across nearly 9,500 sites throughout the nation. Since the program’s inception in 2010, the DEA has collected 7,995 tons of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medication
“DEA is committed to making our communities safer and healthier, and we can do this by reducing overdoses and overdose deaths. While the community does its part to turn in unneeded medications and remove them from potential harm, we are doing our part to further reduce drug-related violence,” the federal agency wrote in a statement.
The public does not have to wait for this annual event to dispose of unused, unwanted or expired prescription medication. According to the federal agency, there are more than 11,000 authorized collectors available year-round.
For more information, visit the DEA’s year-round collection site locator at https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1.
Learn more about National Perscription Drug Take Back Day by visiting https://takebackday.dea.gov/.
