The Roswell Police Department (RPD) will be part of this year’s second National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. RPD is again partnering with Walgreens to host the event at the company’s south Roswell store at 1200 S. Main St., on Oct. 24. Members of RPD will be at the store from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. when the public can bring unwanted and unneeded prescription drugs to the Take Back Day event.
The service is free and those bringing prescription drugs can remain anonymous. In addition to prescription drugs, vape devices will be accepted during Take Back Day as long as the batteries have been removed before dropping off the devices. Liquid products should be in the original container with the cap tightly secured to prevent leakage. Please note, syringes, sharps, aerosols (including inhalers) and illicit drugs are not accepted.
Kerry Moore, director of the Chaves County Health Council said syringes and other sharp objects in need of disposal can be taken to Alianza at 1200 S. Richardson Ave. or the New Mexico Department of Health office at 1601 S. Garden Street.
Flushing unused prescriptions can also cause problems because the drugs can end up in the water system.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is an initiative of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) offering citizens an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.
According to the RPD, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has become a well-used tool for citizens of Roswell and the surrounding area to turn in pills they no longer need or want. Roswell began participating in the event, usually held twice a year in April and October, in 2011.
The drugs turned in at the Roswell event and other local events throughout the nation are retrieved by DEA officials for disposal by incineration. This initiative addresses a public safety and public health issue. According to the DEA, medicines that languish in home cabinets are susceptible to misuse and abuse, which can result in accidental poisonings and overdoses.
For more information, visit roswell-nm.gov.