MARIPOSA – Here’s your opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs.
On Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will be set up at several locations in Mariposa County allowing for the safe disposal of medications.
Bring your unwanted medications to the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office located at 4963 10th Street, or the Sheriff Sub-Station located at 9729 Merced Falls Road in the Lake Don Pedro Sub-Division.
The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked, and addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.
Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet, says the Sheriff’s Office. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash— pose both potential safety and health hazards.
