Saturday Is National Take Back Your Prescription Day Renee Nash April 26, 2019 at 1:09 pm in COMMUNITY, Community's Choice, In The News - Afternoon Headlines, In The News - Morning Headlines, NEWS Tweet Washington, D.C. (April 24, 2019) – Don’t toss your meds. Saturday, April 27th is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. It’s an initiative by the Drug Enforcement Administration or DEA to encourage consumers to safely and conveniently dispose of their unused or expired prescriptions in a responsible way. It is estimated that in 2017 alone more than six million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The DEA’s Take Back Day provides an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths. The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. Different sites across the country will be open Saturday to allow residents to bring in their prescription drugs. For a listing of locations around the country of where you can drop off your medications, click here. TAKEBACK LOCATIONS The DEA hosts National Prescription Drug Take Back Day twice a year. At the last event in October 2018, there were nearly 6,000 sites set up across the country where some 914,000 tons of medications were collected. Now in its 9th year, the DEA initiative is responsible for collected over 10-million pounds of drugs. This effort is one way to help fight the opioid epidemic that’s griping our country. Opioid abuse is at epidemic levels in the U.S., and remains a top public health concern. Consumers should dispose of expired, unwanted, or unused medicines as quickly as possible to help reduce accidental or intentional overdoses or illegal abuse. The DEA’s “Take-Back” initiative is one of several strategies to reduce prescription drug abuse and diversion in the nation. Over in Prince George’s County, The Health Department’s Behavioral Health Services’ Alcohol & Drug Prevention Program is partnering with the Prince George’s County Police Department and the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation for a medication drop-off site event this Saturday, April 27th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Palmer Park Community Recreation Center, 7720 Barlowe Road, Landover, MD 20785. Here’s a complete list of sites in Prince George’s. Prince George’s County National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Drop-off Sites: *All drop-off sites will be open to the public on Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.* Palmer Park Community Recreation Center 7720 Barlowe Road Landover, MD 20785 (301) 773-5665 Prince George’s County Police Department Northern Collection Site, District I 5000 Rhode Island Avenue Hyattsville, MD 20781 (301) 699-2630 Prince George’s County Police Department Central Collection Site, District III 7600 Barlowe Road Landover, MD 20785 (301) 772-4901 Hyattsville Police Department 4310 Gallatin Street Hyattsville, MD 20781 (301) 985-5060 Maryland State Police Forestville Barrack 3500 Forestville Road District Heights, MD 20747 (301) 568-8101 Maryland State Police College Park Barrack 10100 Rhode Island Avenue College Park, MD 20740 (301) 345-3101 University of Maryland Police Department Pocomoke Building 7569 Baltimore Avenue College Park, MD 20742 (301) 405-3555 Greenbelt Police Department 550 Crescent Road Greenbelt, MD 20770 (301) 474-7200 Bowie Police Department 15901 Excalibur Road Bowie, MD 20716 (240) 544-5700 Laurel Police Department 811 15th Street Laurel, MD 20707 (301) 498-0092 Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) Headquarters 14501 Sweitzer Lane Laurel, MD 20707 (301) 206-8888