The MSSU Police Department is once again partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to be a host site for the “National Prescription Drug Take-Back Program.”
Individuals may drop off prescription drugs for disposal at the University Police Department at 507 N. Mission Hills Drive between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., beginning Sunday, October 20, and ending on Saturday, October 26.
Please be advised that MSSU Police will not accept liquids, needles or sharps – only pills and patches. The service is free and anonymous.
Last fall Americans turned in nearly 469 tons (more than 937,000 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. Overall, in its 17 previous Take-Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in more than 11.8 million pounds (approximately 5,900 tons) of pills.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in homes 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.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s “National Survey on Drug Use and Health” shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home. 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.
For more information, go to www.deatakeback.com or contact MSSU chief of police, Ken Kennedy, at (417) 625-9741.
For more information, go to www.deatakeback.com or contact MSSU chief of police, Ken Kennedy, at (417) 625-9741.
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