Full Notification

17th NATIONWIDE PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE-BACK DAY

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its 17th opportunity in nine 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, April 27th, 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.

Last October, the public turned in a record-setting amount of nearly one million pounds-nearly 457 tons of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for disposal at close to 6,000 collection sites all across the country. This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the fall of 2010 to 10,878,950 pounds or 5,439.5 tons.

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. Also, 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. “Educating the public on the proper disposal of unused medicines has led to over 5,400 tons of prescription drugs being turned in. The success of this program is evident; I believe residents are aware of this every six-month service being provided to them and, they plan for it,” said Sheriff John McMahon.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department will have six (6) stations participating with the collection of these unused prescription medications. They will be open on Saturday, April 27th, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and no appointment is necessary. The participating sites are listed below:

Central Station 909-884-0156
655 East Third Street, San Bernardino

Chino Hills Police Department 909-364-2000
14077 Peyton Drive, Chino Hills

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

Phelan Substation 760-995-8781
4050 Phelan Road, Phelan

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

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

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. For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 27th Take-Back Day event, go to https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html.

Any public inquiries can be made to 1-800-882-9539 or, contact the Sheriff’s Public Affairs Division at 909. 387.3700

Public Affairs Division
909.387.3700

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