Burbank Police Announce Drug Take Back Results
May 9, 2017 11:47 AM
On April 29, 2017, The Burbank Police Department hosted the Drug Take Back Event in collaboration with National Drug Take Back Day. The Drug Take Back initiative is a partnership between the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement agencies, and is focused on public health and safety. Its purpose is to provide citizens a safe method of disposal for unused, unwanted, and expired medications.
Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Drug abuse rates in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses. By hosting the Drug Take Back event, the Burbank Police Department is helping reduce the misuse of these drugs and also preventing potential safety and health hazards often associated with the improper disposal of medications, such as flushing them down the toilet.
The event was held in the parking lot of the Burbank Police Department from 10am to 2pm, as citizens were able to relinquish their medications on a "no questions asked" basis with complete anonymity. The Burbank Police collected 472.5 pounds of medication during this event, which is more than double the amount of medication collected during our previous events.
Nationwide, 4,200 law enforcement partners participated, collecting approximately 450 tons of medication for disposal. Since its inception, the Drug Take Back campaign has collected over 4,000 tons of medication.
The next Drug Take Back event is scheduled for October 28, 2017.
The Burbank Police would like to thank everyone for their involvement and commitment in helping make the Drug Take Back event a huge success.
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Questions regarding this statement should be directed to Sergeant Derek Green, Press Information Officer, at dgreen@burbankca.gov or (818) 238-3240.
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