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The second National Drug Take Back Day for 2021 is this Saturday, sponsored nationally by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Prescription pills and other medications are welcomed. Michigan Tech Public Safety will be participating.
For most local agencies you don’t have to wait to clear out your bathroom cabinet. At the Houghton County Sheriff’s Department, every day is drug take back day. There is a dedicated drop box for prescription pills that is available 24/7/365.
In a release put out by the DEA, they cite a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). It says, “a majority of people who misused a prescription medication obtained the medicine from a family member or friend. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that last year, more than 93,000 people died of drug overdoses in the United States, marking the largest number of drug related deaths ever recorded in a year. Opioid-related deaths accounted for 75 percent of all overdose deaths in 2020.”
Painkillers are of most concern to officials. Getting them out of homes where they aren’t needed in a safe way will help to curb the growing addiction crisis in the country.
