2nd SFS hosts bi-annual Drug Take-Back

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kristin High
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
Barksdale Air Force Base, La. --  The 2nd Security Forces Squadron is hosting the Drug Enforcement Administration's Prescription Drug Take-Back on April 24 and April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Base Exchange.

The national initiative is held twice throughout the year for the public to turn in unused or expired medications for safe disposal.

"The non-medical use of prescription drugs is the second most common form of drug abuse in the United States," said Tech. Sgt. Thomas Hollis, 2 SFS NCO-in-charge Police Services. "The purpose of the program is to get these medications off of the streets."

The majority of teens abusing prescription drugs get them from family and friends, he added, with the home medicine cabinet as a primary source.

During the take-back in September 2012, 2 SFS collected 128 pounds of unused prescription drugs.

"We encourage everyone to turn their old prescription drugs in on our take-back days," said Hollis. "There are no questions asked and no consequences to do so; we just collect the drugs and turn them into the DEA who will safely dispose of them."

According to the Food and Drug Administration, people should not flush old prescriptions down the toilet unless product labels specifically state that it is safe to do so.

Members who are turning in medications should peel off or mark out any labels on the bottles so personal information is concealed. If members cannot make take-back dates, there are a few other ways to rid medicine cabinets of old medications.

If no instructions are listed on the label, the FDA says the public may throw them in the household trash, but should take them out of their original container and mix them in a sealable bag with an undesirable substance such as kitty litter or used coffee grounds. This makes the medication less appealing to children and pets, and unrecognizable to people who may intentionally go through trash looking for drugs.

For more information on the National Prescription Drug Take-Back initiative, contact Tech. Sgt. Hollis at 456-4407 or visit www.dea.gov.