Moorhead, MN – On Saturday April 26th the
Moorhead Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will
give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding
their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription
drugs. Through a partnership with the
Moorhead Walgreen Stores we will be accepting your medications for disposal on
Saturday April 26th. The Downtown
Walgreens located at 8th Street and Main Avenue will participate
form 10:00 a.m. to Noon. The Walgreen’s
located at 8th Street and 30th Avenue South will both participate
from Noon to 2:00 p.m.
The
service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Pills can be left in a
bottle or put in a zip lock bag. Liquids
should be sealed in a bottle and secured in a zip lock bag. We ask that no needles are put into the lock
box.
317
pounds of medication have been collected over the last three years in Moorhead
through this initiative. This 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 U.S. 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—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose
potential safety and health hazards.
