Local departments host prescription take-back day Saturday

Multiple area law enforcement agencies will be participating in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 30.

Police departments in Rindge, Jaffrey, Peterborough, Mason, Dublin, Hancock, Wilton and Antrim will host take part from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The departments will have boxes for residents to turn over unused or expired prescription medications.

The nonmedical use of prescription drugs is second only to marijuana as the most-common form of drug abuse in America, according to the National Drug Enforcement Agency, and can lead to accidental poisoning or overdose. Unused medication thrown in the trash can be retrieved and abused or sold, and flushing it down the toilet can contaminate the water supply.

The take-back program does not accept liquids, patches, needles or sharps.

Some departments may have permanent collection boxes for old or expired medications, and people who cannot attend the take-back day should check with their local police. The DEA recommends that people who cannot dispose of their medications with the police take the medications out of the bottles, mix them with used cat litter or coffee grounds, seal them in disposable containers and throw them away.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.

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