DEA coordinates effort to collect old prescription drugs

Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010 | 3:54 a.m.

Today is the valley’s first prescription drug “take-back day,” an initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice to collect expired and unused medicine.

People are urged to bring their old prescription drugs to drop-off locations, Drug Enforcement Administration officials said in a news release. The service doesn’t cost anything, officials said, and it’s anonymous.

According to the DEA, prescription drug abuse, accidental poisonings and overdoses are on the rise. Most people don’t know how to properly throw away their old drugs, officials said.

The Drug Enforcement Administration will be holding the event in conjunction with local police departments. Metro Police, Henderson Police and North Las Vegas Police will all be participating.

Henderson Police, which is calling its event “Operation Medicine Cabinet,” will be collecting prescription drugs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the north parking lot of the Galleria at Sunset mall, 1300 W. Sunset Road.

Metro Police will have three drop-off locations: 6975 W. Windmill Lane, 9850 W. Cheyenne Ave. and 3675 E. Harmon Ave.

North Las Vegas Police will have a drop-off set up at 3755 W. Washburn Road.

For more information and for sites in other areas, visit the DEA’s website.

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Discussion: 1 comments so far…

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By emvance (Edgar Vance)

Sept. 25, 2010

7:59 a.m.

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I believe this is a great day or month for Vegas .But where do you go after this is all over? KEEP OUR KIDS SAFE
By STARBEAMS

Sept. 25, 2010

8:40 a.m.

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Nursing facilities need to be in this circle of returning drugs also or returning all the items brought from home that will never be used by the residents that are kept in the locked medicine room which are not the reason for loced medicine rooms because at the present speed loced medicine rooms become the antithesis of Grandma's closests where we put Harry's unused change outs and Tilley's unused change outs and Aunt Sue's unused change outs and Tory's unused change outs, and those new 30 day supply blister cards are never in zip bags with a sealed bar code patient number and locked in the medicine room. These are rubber banded together in the med. cart for future use.
By cactusdan (Dan Devine)

Sept. 25, 2010

1:31 p.m.

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My wife, yes; my dog, maybe. My pills, never!
By jasonrothlv

Sept. 25, 2010

3:03 p.m.

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Just to clarify, this is the third Operation Medicine Cabinet in the Valley, not the first. We conducted the first with LVMPD in February and collected 127,000 doses. A second was held in August and collected 256,000 doses. Thank you to everyone who came out today and made the event successful.
By roguerunner

Sept. 25, 2010

9:10 p.m.

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Sad day when the dea has to keep track of legal drugs final disposal,can't we do anything on our own responsibly,guess not,hold my hand ,flush the toilet for me already.Gseech!