The Drug Enforcement Administration wants people to stop throwing prescription medications in the trash or flushing them down the toilet, so it’s holding a national Drug Take Back day this weekend.
The goal is to keep drugs out of the environment and away from people who misuse them, Signal Mountain police Detective Jim Tizzio said.
Local sties for medication drop-off
Local residents are encouraged to drop off their old medications — prescriptions or over-the-counter — for proper disposal at one of the 14 Hamilton County area locations. Sites in bold will have document shredders available for personal documents such as tax information or medical records:Locations in Hamilton County› Walgreens in Hixson, 5478 TN Highway 153› Walgreens in East Ridge, 5301 Ringgold Road› Walgreens in East Brainerd, 2289 Gunbarrel Road› Walgreens in Northshore, 110 North Market St.› Mt. Canaan Baptist Church, 4801 Highway 58› Elk’s Lodge #91, 1069 Graysville Road› First Baptist Church, 506 E. Eighth St.› Food City in Red Bank, 3901 Dayton Boulevard› Orchard Knob Baptist Church, 1734 E. Third St.› Signal Mountain Police Department, 1111 Ridgeway Ave.› Walgreens in Brainerd, 3605 Brainerd Road› Walgreens in Ooltewah, 9307 County Highway› Walgreens in Soddy-Daisy, 121 Harrison Lane› Walgreens in St. Elmo, 3550 Broad St.
Some 6.4 million Americans abuse controlled prescription drugs, according to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
Improperly discarded drugs also end up in landfills or are flushed down toilets and end up in the water system, Tizzio said.