EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Saturday, April 27 is National Drug Take Back Day, and police departments around Connecticut will be collecting unwanted and expired prescription drugs for safe and proper disposal.
It's an opportunity to clean out the medicine cabinets and prevent the possibility of those prescriptions ending up in the wrong hands, according to officials.
"These drugs pose a risk to be a gateway for young children in our communities to experiment and get their first taste of what can be a very dangerous and slippery slope for them to live," said David Lanzone from the Drug Enforcement Administration during a news conference in East Hartford.
Officials are also asking people to refrain from dumping medications down the toilet or in the trash.
"Improper disposal such as flushing prescriptions down the toilet or throwing them in the trash can pose a risk and lead to water pollution, harm to wildlife and accidental ingestion by a child or a pet," said East Hartford Police Chief Mack Hawkins.
To help encourage safe disposal the Governor’s Prevention Partnership will be on hand at collection sites to give away 50,000 Deterra bags, which render medications inactive.
Officials will also be giving away doses of Narcan, the life-saving opioid overdose reversal drug.
WEEKEND HAPPENINGS: Things to do in Connecticut this weekend, April 26-28
These are the types of drugs that officials will and will not accept:
ACCEPTED: Prescription and over-the-counter dosage medications, i.e. tablets, capsules, vaping products, and liquids.
NOT ACCEPTED: Intravenous solutions, injectable medicines, Epi-pens, and needles are not accepted.
The following police departments will be collecting unwanted prescriptions for National Drug Take Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday:
- East Hartford Police Dept. - drop-off at the East Hartford Public Safety Complex
- Norwich Police Dept.
- Waterbury Police Dept. - drop-off at City of Waterbury Health Department
- West Hartford Police. Dept. - drop-off at Town Hall
- Westport Police Dept. - drop-off at Westport Center for Senior Activities
- Wethersfield Police Dept. - drop-off at police department
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