News Releases
News from Lane Community College
For release October 25, 2011
Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Oct. 29 at LCC
Bring your expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs for safe disposal
EUGENE, OR – Lane Community College Public Safety and the Drug Enforcement Administration 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, on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring medications for disposal to LCC main campus, 4000 E. 30th Avenue, Eugene, Building 19, the Center for Meeting and Learning. (Directions online at 2011sitearchive.lanecc.edu/center/PDFs/CMLmap-LCCV4.pdf )
The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. No liquids, sharps or illicit drugs will be collected.
"We had a very good turn out last year and we have already received numerous phone calls for this year's event," says Jace Smith, Public Safety manager at Lane. "April 2011 was the first time that LCC Public Safety worked with the DEA on this effort. People liked the availability of the drop off and asked us to conduct the program again. This year several individuals and at least two agencies that serve others and have significant amounts of medications to dispose of have made inquiries. We expect a significant increase in drop offs this year," he said.
Medicines that languish in home cabinets are susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day allows people to safely dispose of expired, unused and unwanted medications. Flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash pose potential safety and health hazards.
Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act in 2010. It allows an "ultimate user" of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. The DEA has begun drafting regulations to implement the act, a process that can take as long as 24 months. Until new regulations are in place, local agencies like Lane Community College Public Safety and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months.
###
Media contacts:
Joan Aschim, PIO, aschimj@lanecc.edu or (541) 463-5591
Jace L. Smith, Public Safety Manager, (541) 463-5561
