OCSD Hosts Clean your medicine cabinet day - Free, no questions asked

This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked

Posted By  CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA . – – The Orange County Sheriff’s Department  (OCSD) in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is hosting a Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 26, 2014, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The event serves to not only make the public aware of the dangers associated with having prescription drugs in the house, but also provides the public an an opportunity to safely  rid their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs:  In 2012, illegal drugs were the cause of 20 percent of Orange County’s 330 overdose incidents. Prescription drugs were involved in 57 percent of the cases, 188 deaths. 

This prescription drug epidemic is especially growing in Orange County, and takes an Orange County life every two days. Not only is the death count rising from drug overdose, but it has now exceeded deaths by car crashes, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control. This is a great opportunity for those who missed the previous events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those medications.

This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Below is a list of collection sites: 

Laguna Hills City Hall	24035 El Toro Road, Laguna Hills
Lake Forest City Hall	25550 Commercentre, Lake Forest
Mission Viejo City Hall	200 Civic Center, Mission Viejo
Rancho Santa Margarita City Hall	22112 El Paseo, Rancho Santa Margarita
Rossmoor Rush Park	3021 Blume Drive, Rossmoor
Yorba Linda Police Sub Station	20994 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda

Past Take-Back Day events have been hugely successful, collecting more than 3 million pounds, or 1,733 tons, of prescription medications.  In addition to offering free, anonymous, and convenient disposal, the Take-Back Day also educates the public about how medications can be misused or abused.

Last year, in April, The Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s 12 sites collected 1,688 pounds of substances and again in October they collected 1,317 pounds and disposed of them safely.