The state Healthy Homes Program is taking part in National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
Delawareans will be able to bring unused prescription drugs to several centers all over the state on Saturday September 12, 2015 between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. There are a total of 26 sites, which include the Newark Police Department, the Atlantic Apothecary in Smyrna and the Beebe Medical Tunnel Center in Rehoboth.
Identification is not required at the collection sites, and no questions will be asked.
The goal of this event is to prevent prescription drug abuse, says Bill Leitzinger. He’s the statewide coordinator for National Drug Take Back events, which he coordinates with the DEA.
"Unfortunately a lot of medications are stolen by people who use them to get high. So that’s a dangerous thing for people to get involved in and by taking these drugs away, that temptation, it eliminates that problem."
He adds that simply throwing away old prescription drugs can also be bad for the environment.
Delaware has held take-back days since 2010, and has removed a total of 44,000 pounds of old medicine from circulation.
Other states are holding their drug take-back days on the 26th, but Delaware and Pennsylvania have their events two weeks earlier because of the Pope’s upcoming visit.
From January through July of this year, there have been 78 suspected overdose deaths from heroin or prescription drugs in Delaware.