Unused Drugs? Unload Today at Sweetbay

Throughout the country today, April 28, people will be ridding their medicine cabinets of unwanted, unnecessary and expired medications, a big step toward thwarting the illegal, and unsafe use of, prescription drugs.

Representatives from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, along with the Tampa and Temple Terrace police departments, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance will be aiding in the collection of unused or expired prescription medications.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is a good time for citizens to clean out their medicine cabinets and "prevent potentially dangerous drugs from getting into the wrong hands," as noted in a sheriff's office announcement.

Unused prescription drugs will be collected at four locations April 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (See below.) Volunteers from the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance have been scheduled to hand out educational materials at each of the collection sites.

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) answers the question why the DEA is involved, and "why you shouldn't just toss your old prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs into the trash, sink or toilet."

Among the reasons cited in the AARP March 2012 article:

• Pills discarded with the trash can easily be picked out of the garbage by people seeking to illegally use or sell them.
  
  
• Medications thrown in the trash also can be found and consumed by children or animals.
  
  
• Chemicals and toxins from drugs that are disposed of into landfills, or down toilets and sinks, can escape into the ground and groundwater, polluting the environment and posing health hazards to humans, plants and wildlife.

The AARP notes, however, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does recommend "disposal by flushing" for certain opioid medications — such as Percocet, Demerol and Dialudid — to protect against the drugs being misused or accidentally consumed by children or pets. Offered is a complete list, at fda.gov.

The article also reviews other ways to safely dispose of medications.

As for the April 28 collection drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the following sites are noted.

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Prescription Take-Back Day In Greater Brandon

• The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office's Operation Medicine Cabinet will take place at the in Valrico, at 2535 State Road 60 East. More than 50 pounds of expired or unused prescription drugs were collected at this site during .

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Prescription Take-Back Day In Tampa, Temple Terrace

• The Tampa Police Department will be collecting drugs at the Sweetbay Supermarket in Tampa, at 2525 N. Dale Mabry Hwy.
• Drugs will be collected at the Temple Terrace Police Department, at 11250 N. 56th St.
• The Drug Enforcement Administration is manning the collection center at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), at 4801 East Fowler Ave. in Tampa.

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RELATED COVERAGE:

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