Get Rid of Old, Unwanted Medicine at the Sheriff's Office Saturday

Now is the time to clear out your medicine cabinet and properly dispose of expired, unneeded medicines. Getting rid of them is easy with a drop-off location set up on Saturday at the West Valley Division substation of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office at 1601 S. De Anza Blvd.

As part of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, the station will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to accept any and all drugs, free and no questions asked.

In previous Take-Back Days Americans turned in nearly 1.6 million pounds of prescription drugs at almost 5,700 sites across the country.

“There has been an overwhelming public response to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Anthony D. Williams in a statement. “This response underscores the public’s commitment in combating the problem of prescription drug abuse in our communities. The success of this event would not be possible without the invaluable support of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.”

Prescription drug abuse in the U.S. is immense with more Americans abusing prescription medicine than those who use cocaine, hallucinogens and heroin combined, according to the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Medicines washed down the drain in the Bay Area may also pose health risks to wildlife and ultimately people because the regions drains  run to the Bay.