Full Notification

UPDATE TENTH NATIONWIDE PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE-BACK DAY

Twelve hundred and 12 pounds of unused, unwanted prescription drugs were turned into ten San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department locations that participated in the Tenth Nationwide Prescription Drug Take Back Day that was held on Saturday, September 26, 2015.

Station Pounds received
Apple Valley 72
Barstow 10
Central 48
Chino Hills 30
Hesperia 153
Highland 122
Morongo Basin 26
Rancho Cucamonga 97
Victorville 173
Yucaipa 481

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its tenth opportunity in five years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, or unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal on Saturday, September 26th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to any one of the below listed collection sites. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

In the previous nine Take Back events nationwide from 2010 - 2014, 4,823,251 pounds, or 2,411 tons of drugs were collected.
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. “The success of this program is evident with the over four million pounds of pills that have been turned in over the previous nine events. It is critical that residents understand that their usual methods of disposing of unused medicines pose potential safety and health hazards,” said Sheriff John McMahon.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department will have ten stations participating with the collection of these unused prescription medications. They will be open on Saturday, September 27th from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and no appointment is necessary. The participating sites are listed below:

Apple Valley Police Department 760-240-7400
14931 Dale Evans Parkway, Apple Valley

Barstow Sheriff’s Station 760-256-4838
225 East Mt. View, Barstow

Central Station 909-387-3545
655 East 3rd Street, San Bernardino

Chino Hills Station 909- 364-2000
14077 Peyton Drive, Chino Hills

Hesperia Police Department 760-947-1500
15840 Smoke Tree Street, Hesperia

Highland Police Department 909-425-9793
26985 East Baseline, Highland

Morongo Basin Station 760-366-4175
63665 Twenty Nine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree

Rancho Cucamonga Police Department 909-477-2800
10510 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga

Victorville Police Department 760-241-2911
14200 Amargosa Road, Victorville

Yucaipa Police Department 909-790-3105
34282 Yucaipa Boulevard, Yucaipa

We encourage every citizen to look in their homes for any old, unused prescription medication and bring them to one of the listed collection sites for disposal. If you have any questions, contact the Sheriff’s Public Affairs Division at 909. 387.3700 or any public inquiries can be made to 1-800-882-9539.

In addition to the collection sites listed above, additional locations throughout Southern California can be found by visiting www.dea.gov and clicking on the “Got Drugs?” icon.

For additional information pertaining to DEA and prescription drug abuse, visit www.dea.gov, www.justthinktwice.gov, or www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com.


Public Affairs Division
909.387.3700

JOHN McMAHON, Sheriff-Coroner
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department