"The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.9 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. The DEA’s Take Back Day events provide an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths." (TakeBackDay.DEA.gov)
The Garden Ridge Police Department will be conducting a DRUG TAKE BACK Event for all local residents. The event will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2020 from 10am to 2pm in the City Hall parking lot. Residents may bring their unused, unwanted, or no longer needed medications and pharmaceuticals and drop them off for proper disposal.
Below are the guidelines for the event, which WILL BE STRICTLY ADHERED TO.
- Participants may dispose of medication in its original container or by removing the medication from its container and disposing of it directly into the disposal box. If an original container is submitted, the individual should be encouraged to remove any identifying information from the prescription label.
- All solid dosage pharmaceutical product and liquids in consumer containers may be accepted. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container. The depositor should ensure that the cap is tightly sealed to prevent leakage.
- Lotions, shampoos, and other personal hygiene products WILL NOT be accepted.
- Intra-venous solutions, injectables, and syringes WILL NOT be accepted due to potential hazard posed by blood-borne pathogens.
- All participants must retain possession of their own medication during the surrender process. Law enforcement personnel should not handle the medications at any time.
- A law enforcement officer must remain with the drug disposal box at all times. Collected pharmaceutical products should be handled as drug evidence with law enforcement custody to safe guard the surrendered material.