Sen. Carper Calls on Delawareans to Participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

WILMINGTON, Del. – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) encouraged Delawareans to participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, September 29, 2012. The DEA, along with local government, community, public health and law enforcement officials, will be collecting expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs for safe disposal at more than 5,500 sites nationwide. The event, which is free and anonymous, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 30 collection sites in Delaware.  Sen. Carper will attend a Prescription Drug Take Back Day event at Christiana Hospital in Newark from 11:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. 

“Prescription drug abuse is becoming a rapidly growing epidemic in the United States and Delaware,” said Sen. Carper. “I encourage everyone to help fight this problem by ridding your medicine cabinet of expired, unused medication this Saturday during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.”   

The first National Prescription Drug Take Back Day was held on Sept. 25, 2010, to provide a venue for persons who wanted to dispose of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. Americans turned in more than 121 tons of prescription drugs, including 303 pounds at Delaware’s 14 collection sites. During the last event held in Delaware On April 28, 2012, citizens turned in a record-breaking amount of 6,808 pounds of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal at local collection sites. Events such as these have been instrumental in the nationwide effort to remove potentially dangerous prescription drugs from medicine cabinets to pill abuse and theft.   

The National Take Back Initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. According to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets. In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potential safety and health hazards.   

As Chairman of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services and International Security, Sen. Carper has held several hearings and investigations examining the diversion and abuse of controlled substances and other powerful prescription drugs in our nation’s public healthcare system. In 2009, Sen. Carper worked with Gov. Jack Markell to champion the adoption of a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program in Delaware, which was passed by an overwhelming majority in the General Assembly and signed into law.   

For more information on the National Take Back Initiative, please visit: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html.

A list of collection sites located near in Delaware can be found below or by clicking here: 

National Take-Back Day Collection Sites

New Castle County:

• Delaware City Refinery,Delaware City Police Admin Bldg, 4550 Wrangle Hill Road, Delaware City
• Middletown Police Station, 130 Hampden Rd., Middletown
• New Castle Co. Police Dept. HQ, 3601 N. Dupont Highway, New Castle
• Delaware River and Bay Authority Police, New Castle Airport Terminal Building, 151 North Dupont Highway, New Castle
• Newark Delaware Police Department, Newark Senior Center, 200 White Chapel Dr., Newark
• University Of Delaware Police Dept., University Of Delaware Public Safety Bldg., 413 Academy Street, Newark
• Christiana Care Health System – Parking Lot T, Delaware State Police, 4755 Ogletown-Stanton Road, Newark

Kent County:

• Camden Police Dept., 1783 Friends Way, Camden
• Delaware Attorney General’s Office (MFCU), Heritage At Dover Assisted Living Facility, 1203 Walker Road, Dover
• Delaware State University Police Dept., 1200 N. Dupont Highway, Dover
• Dover Police Department, 400 S. Queen St., Dover
• Felton Police Department, 24 E. Sewell Street, Felton
• Harrington Police Department, 10 Mechanic St., Harrington
• Milford Police Department, 400 North East Front Street, Milford

Sussex County:

• Bridgeville Fire Dept., 315 Market St., Bridgeville
• Dagsboro Police Department, 33134 Main Street, Dagsboro
• Delaware State Police Troop #4, 23652 Shortly Road, Georgetown
• Greenwood Police Department, 100 West Market Street, Greenwood
• Laurel Police Department, 205 Mechanic Street, Laurel
• Delaware River And Bay Authority Police, 43 Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes
• Milton Police Department, 101 Federal Street, Milton
• Ocean View Police Department, 201 Central Avenue, Ocean View
• South Bethany Police Department, 402 Evergreen Road, Bethany Beach