April 11, 2017
CONTACT: Officer Brittany Wallace
Public Information Officer
770.794.5370
MARIETTA - On April 29th, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Marietta Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its 13th opportunity in five years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Please bring your pills for disposal to the Marietta Police Department at 240 Lemon St Marietta, Ga 30060. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
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.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 29th Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Office of Diversion Control site.