THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS (April 11, 2016) – On Saturday, April 30, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., The Woodlands Township Neighborhood Watch will host a National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. A drop-off site will be at The Woodlands Township Town Hall, located at 2801 Technology Forest Blvd., The Woodlands, Texas 77381 in the front parking lot. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office District 6, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will collect unwanted medications at the site for safe disposal by the DEA. The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps at this event, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous. Medications may not be dropped off before or after the event.
Residents coming to the event from Grogan’s Mill or Town Center may want to drop off their medications after 10:30 a.m., once the roads have cleared for the CB&I Tri, or check the Township website at www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov for CB&I Tri road opening information to help with travel around the race.
According to the DEA, last September, Americans turned in 350 tons (over 702,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at more than 5,000 sites operated by the DEA and more than 3,800 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 10 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 5.5 million pounds of pills — more than 2,750 tons. The 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 United States 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, such as flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, pose potential safety and health hazards.
For more information about The Woodlands Township Neighborhood Watch, please visit www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/neighborhoodwatch or call 281-210-3800. For further information about the disposal of prescription drugs, please visit www.dea.gov.