National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

The New Bedford Police Department has joined up with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to conduct a fourth National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 28, 2012, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm at New Bedford Police Department, 871 Rockdale Ave, New Bedford, MA to provide a venue for city residents and others who want to dispose of unwanted and unused prescription drugs.

This National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a vital public safety and public health issue in the City of New Bedford and throughout our country. More than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Each day, approximately, 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time according to the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.

The DEA in conjunction with New Bedford Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States conducted National Prescription Drug Take Back Days on Saturday, September 25, 2010, April 25, 2011, and on October 29, 2011. Nearly, 4,000 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the nation participated in these events, collecting more than 309 tons of pills.