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Drug Take Back event collects more than 76,000 pounds

Delaware Public Media

Delaware’s Drug Take-Back event last month collected more than 76,000 pounds of expired or unused medication.

 

The Drug Take Back event on October 28 is being deemed very successful by Bill Leitzinger, an administrator in Delaware's Division of Public Health's Office of Healthy Environments in Delaware’s Division of Public Health.

 

“We’ve collected over 5,000 pounds of medications that were turned in by the public at this latest Take Back event; which brings the total for our 13 or 14 Take Back events over the years to over 76,000 pounds have been collected,” said Leitzinger.

Leitzinger says the first ever Drug Take Back event was held in May 2010.

 

“I think the benefit of these events is that it shines a spotlight on the problem. The DEA (the Drug Enforcement Administration) sponsors it as a nationwide event and Delaware’s been apart of it for many years,” said Leitzinger.

 

He says in addition to the locations set up on the numerous Drug Take Back event days, there are also 21 permanent medicine drop-off locations throughout the State.

DPH officials attribute the increase in collections to the cumulative efforts of the permanent drug collection sites, which turned in their medications collected over several months to the Drug Enforcement Agency on the day of the event last month.

You can find a list of the permanent sites by logging on to delawarehealthyhomes.org.

 

DPH urges Delawareans to keep medications locked away and to drop them off at a permanent drug collection location when they are no longer wanted, necessary or have expired.

 

For recommendations on handling unwanted or expired prescription drugs, contact the DEA at 1-800-882-9539.

 

Kelli Steele has over 30 years of experience covering news in Delaware, Baltimore, Winchester, Virginia, Phoenix, Arizona and San Diego, California.
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