Full Notification

Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Results in Collection of Large Quantities of Unused Medication

Monterey Park, Calif. -- May 15, 2013 -- On Saturday, April 27, Monterey Park Police partnered with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Agents in an effort to collect unused prescription drugs from community members as part of the sixth National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. This event is held twice a year, with the mission to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the public about the potential for abuse of these medications. The event is staffed by Monterey Park Police Department Reserve Police Officers, who volunteer their time to support the operations of the police department in a variety of assignments. In Monterey Park, approximately 132 pounds of prescription drugs were collected.

The results of this effort in Southern California were extremely successful. In the Los Angeles Area, local law enforcement agencies from Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties collected 26,352 pounds of unused, unwanted, or expired prescription drugs. More than 100 state and local law enforcement agencies participated in this event.

Nationally, a total of 371 tons of prescription medication was collected during the one-day event. When added to the collections from the five previous Take-Back day events, more than 1,409 tons of prescription medications have been removed from circulation nationwide.

This event will take place again in late September or early October, 2013.