Vernon Police, DEA Offering Drug "Take Back" Disposal Day

The Vernon Police Department and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration are offering members of the public a chance to get rid of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. 

The drug "Take Back" disposal day is scheduled for April 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Vernon Department of Public Works garage, 383 Hartford Turnpike. 

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked, police said.

Last October, Americans turned in 377,080 pounds prescription drugs at more than 5,300 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,000 state and local law enforcement partners, police said. 

In its three previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in almost a million pounds of pills, police said.

"This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse," Vernon police said in a news release.

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

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, police said.

The Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010 allows an “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. 

The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances.  DEA is drafting regulations to implement the law, a process that can take as long as 24 months.  Until new regulations are in place, local law enforcement agencies like the Vernon Police Department and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months.

For further information please contact Lt. Mel Hardy at the Vernon Police Department at (860) 872-9126, ext. 271.