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The Baraga County Communities That Care Coalition is encouraging residents to join in on National Prescription Take Back Day this Saturday.
Bring your unused, unwanted, or expired pills for disposal to the Baraga County Sheriff’s Office, Shopko Hometown Pharmacy or the L’Anse Healthmart at the Baraga County Memorial Hospital between 10am and 2pm.
Drop-off locations cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps; only pills or patches.
The service is free and anonymous – no questions asked.
Medicines that sit for long periods of time 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.
