– Press release

 On Saturday. April 26 from 10a.m. to 2 p.m. the Bishop Police Department, the Inyo County Sheriff’s Department and lnyo Narcotics Enforcement Team (INET) will be hosting Inyo County’s second Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

GotDRUGS flyer2014

 

This service is in accordance with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Drug Take-Back Initiative. This event will give Inyo County residents an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired. unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. You can bring medications for disposal to one of the three Inyo County collection sites. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Locations:  In Bishop, outside KMart, 1200 N. Main St.;  Lone Pine, outside McDonald’s, 601 S. Main St.; Tecopa, Community Center, 400 Tecopa Hot Springs Road.

According to Sheriff Bill Lutze, “Last year was the first time local law enforcement participated an this initiative. Most of us have prescription medication in our medicine cabinet that are out-of- date or we no longer have any use for, but we keep it because we don’t know what to do with it.”

For the second consecutive year the people of Inyo County have a day and three locations an which to discard of this medicine safely. Last year’s event was a success with lnyo County residents turning in over 85 pounds of unwanted prescriptions.”

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 an the U.S. are alarmingly high. as are the number of accidental poisonings and as 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 or unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

Bishop Police Chief Chris Carter agrees. “A medicine cabinet full of drugs can be an easy target (or youth or other adults looking to experiment or to obtain an easy high. The Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is a great opportunity for local residents to make their homes safer and dispose of their unwanted medication in an approved manner. I know in last year’s event Bishop residents alone turned an over 61 pounds of medication. I’m hoping this year we can spread the word to all our neighbors and beat that number.”

MONO COUNTY

Got drugs? Are you looking to get rid of unwanted, unused and expired prescription medications? Unwanted, unused and expired prescription medications can be dangerous to our family, friends, children, and communities if they fall into the wrong hands.

On Saturday, April 26th, 2014, from 10:00am – 2:00pm, the Mono County District Attorney’s Office, with support of local law enforcement, asks you to participate in the Prescription Drug Take-Back Day event, in accordance with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Drug Taker-Back Initiative. This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.

Prescription drug abuse is on the rise as well as the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to the misuse of these medications. Studies indicate that a majority of abused prescription medications are obtained from family members and friends, right from the home medicine cabinet. Other studies are indicating that the usual methods for disposing of unwanted, unused and expired medications (such as flushing down the toilet or throwing away in the trash) pose potential environmental safety and health hazards.

Across Mono County, residents and visitors will have an opportunity to get rid of their potentially dangerous, unwanted, unused and expired prescription medications and help prevent prescription drug abuse. Simply remove all personal information from any packaging, or dump all medications into one Ziploc-type baggie, and bring them to one of the four (4) collection sites:

Walker General Store (106651 Hwy 395 – Coleville)

Bridgeport Fire Department (309 Main St – Bridgeport)

June Lake Fire Department (2380 Hwy 158 – June Lake)

Vons (481 Old Mammoth Road – Mammoth Lakes)

This take-back event is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Please help in preventing prescription drug abuse by getting rid of your unwanted, unused and expired medications on Saturday, April 26th!

 

 

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