SAN ANTONIO – To combat the epidemic of prescription drug addiction as well as accidental ingestion by children, the DEA will stage another Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday.
Nearly 6.4 million Americans age 12 and older abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Experts said abuse of narcotic painkillers like Oxycontin, Percocet and Vicodin is a particular problem.
Many abusers report getting their drugs from friends and family, including their home medicine cabinets.
People can drop off leftover or expired prescription pills or patches for safe disposal, no questions asked from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The DEA will host approximately two dozen sites in the San Antonio region.
Click here to find a site near you.
It's a chance to clean out medicine cabinet, something many people say they haven't done in years.
For people who throw out medicines on their own, experts advise removing personal information from the bottle, then mixing the drugs with something unappealing, like coffee grounds or cat litter, and sealing it in a plastic bag and tossing is in the trash.
--------------------------------------------------------
Don't miss a thing. Get email alerts from KSAT12 today.
Get alerted to news events as they happen or sign up for a scheduled news headline email that is delivered right to your inbox. Breaking news, severe weather, daily forecasts, entertainment news, all of the day’s important events to keep you up to date wherever you are.
Sign up today. It's Free.