The City of Mission Viejo and Orange County Sheriff’s Department will take part in “National Take Back Day” on Saturday, September 27 as part of a national effort to prevent abuse and theft.
The City will host a drive-through drop-off location from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the City Hall parking lot at 200 Civic Center. The Sheriff’s Department is working on the collection with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. There is no cost to drop off medications. Individuals can dispose of drugs free of charge and remain anonymous.
The public has embraced the opportunity these take-back events provide to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs.
The need for such an event is there. In the five take-back events Mission Viejo has hosted, 1,465.1 pounds of prescription drugs has been collected. These numbers highlight the potential for an even bigger problem with prescription drug abuse as illustrated in “An Invisible Line: Teen Drug Abuse in Our Community.”
Removing unused or expired prescription medications from the medicine cabinet and storing needed prescription medications in a secured cabinet are simple steps that can save lives.
For more information, call 949-470-8433. Information about other south county drop-off locations is availablehere.
