Politics & Government

McHenry County Sheriff's Office Holds Drug Take-Back Collection

Sheriff's Office and the DEA will accept unwanted prescriptions April 27, at Wonder Lake Fire Station #1.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

The Sheriff's Office is holding a drug take-back collection from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 27, at the Wonder Lake Fire Station #1, 4300 E. Wonder Lake Rd., Wonder Lake, according to Sheriff Keith Nygren.

The public can drop off unwanted medications for disposal the station. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked, Nygren said in a release. 

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Last September, Americans turned in 244 tons of prescription drugs at over 5,200 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. In its five previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 2 million pounds - over a thousand tons - of pills, Nygren stated in the release.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.

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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, Nygren said. 

Studies show a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

Also, the 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, Nygren said. 

 


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