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City of Florence to hold prescription drug take back event as part of DEA Take Back Day October 29


The City of Florence will host a Prescription Drug Take Back Event in conjunction with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) Take Back Day.

The event offers a chance to safely dispose of unused prescription medications. During the event, only pills are accepted and no liquids, ointments or sharps will be allowed.

(Photo form DEA)

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, October 29, pills for disposal can be taken to one of two locations in Florence — Florence Kroger Marketplace located at 7685 Mall Road or the north parking lot of the City of Florence Government Center located at 8100 Ewing Boulevard. The drop-off service is free and anonymous.

During the spring 2022 DEA Take Back Day, Americans turned in nearly 360 tons — more than 721,093 pounds — of prescription drugs at 5,144 sites operated by the DEA and almost 4,476 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 22 previous Take Back events, the DEA and its partners have taken in almost 16 million pounds – nearly 7,995 tons – of pills.

The initiative 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.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet

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—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

City of Florence


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