Sheriff's Office to Receive Unwanted Prescription Drugs

The Effingham County Sheriff's Department and the US Drug Enforcement Administration are giving the public its seventh opportunity in three years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

The drugs will be collected on Saturday from 9am to 1pm at the sheriff's office, located in the Effingham County Office Building, across the street to the west of the old Courthouse.  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last April, Americans turned in over 371 tons (over 742,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at over 5,800 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners.  In its six previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 2.8 million pounds, more than 1,400 tons, of pills.

The effort is designed to address a public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse.  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 can, both pose potential safety and health hazards.