On Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Terrell Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its 20th opportunity in eight years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Bring your pills for disposal to the Terrell Police Department lobby at 1100 N. State Highway 34, Terrell.

The Terrell Police Department is one of several agencies within Kaufman County that are participating in this program.

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last year, Americans turned in to local and tribal law enforcement 985,392 pounds, or

492.7 tons of prescription drugs at 4,587 sites operated by the DEA and its state and local law enforcement partners. This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since May of 2016 to 13.68 million pounds or 6,842.4 tons. This program has reduced the risk of opioid misuse by children, friends and neighbors.

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 DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.)

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 2021 Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Diversion website. https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/.

Sources: Terrell PD, DEA