Looking to safely get rid of prescription pills?
On Saturday, the Gwinnett County Police Department will participate in the DEA National Drug Take-Back Initiative. This event will give the community an opportunity to drop off and safely dispose of potentially dangerous medications, an announcement said.
“In addition, unused medications that are flushed down the toilet can contaminate local water supplies, and when drugs are disposed of in the trash, they often end up in landfills and pose a hazard of contamination through soil absorption,” the announcement said.
During the drug take-back initiative in 2021, the DEA and its partners collected nearly 1.6 million pounds of unwanted drugs.
Drug deaths surged during the pandemic, largely due to the abuse of opioids such as fentanyl, according to the National Institute on Drug Use. Nearly 92,000 people in the U.S. died from drug-involved overdose in 2020, including about 16,000 from prescription medication.
Credit: Courtesy: National Institute on Drug Abuse website
Credit: Courtesy: National Institute on Drug Abuse website
The Gwinnett collection sites can accept tablets, capsules, and patches. Liquids and syringes will not be accepted. Those who drop off medications will not be asked about their medical history or how they got the medication, the announcement said.
The collection sites will be located throughout the county and will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. No appointment is needed to drop off medications.
The drop-off locations are:
Police headquarters, 770 Hi-Hope Rd, Lawrenceville, GA 30043
West Precinct, 6160 Crescent Dr., Norcross, GA 30071
South Precinct, 2180 Stone Dr., Lilburn, GA 30047
North Precinct, 2735 Mall of Georgia Blvd; Buford, GA 30518
East Precinct, 2273 Alcovy Rd; Dacula, GA 30019
Central Precinct, 3125 Satellite Blvd; Duluth, GA 30096
Bay Creek Precinct, 185 Ozora Rd; Loganville, GA 30052
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