The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office is urging the community to take part in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday. This day, dedicated to the safe and responsible disposal of prescription drugs, aims to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths. Local residents can clear out their medicine cabinets of unused medications and hand them over at specified drop-off locations between 10am and 2pm, including the sheriff's office itself located at 4015 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine, FL 32084, and the St. Augustine Police Department at 151 King Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084.
This initiative, part of a nationwide effort, signals a response to a growing public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. According to a social media post from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, "April 26th is National Prescription Drug #TakeBackDay. Clear your medicine cabinets and dispose your unused medications safely at these drop off locations."
Statistics have shown that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. This fact underscores the critical nature of events like Take Back Day for helping to stem the tide of drug abuse. Besides the main locations, other collection sites countywide can be found on the official Drug Enforcement Administration's Take Back Day website, providing ample opportunities for residents to participate.
For those unable to make it to a drop-off location on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, the sheriff’s office posts reminders that there are permanent drop boxes available throughout the year. These are some of measures in place to combat the potential for medication-related issues by providing ongoing solutions for removing unused pharmaceuticals from the community.
