Location: TCSO Substations
Incident Date: 10/27/18
Incident Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
City: Visalia, Porterville, Cutler/Orosi, Pixley, Woodlake, Farmersville
Posted by: Media Relations
The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office is Taking Back Unwanted Prescription Drugs Oct. 27 in Visalia, Cutler/Orosi, Pixley, and Porterville.
TULARE COUNTY – On Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to:
Sheriff’s Headquarters, 833 S. Akers St., Visalia
Visalia Substation, 2404 W. Burrel Ave., Visalia
Cutler/Orosi Substation, 40765 Rd. 128, Cutler
Pixley Substation, 161 N. Pine St., Pixley
Porterville Substation, 379 N. 3rd St. Porterville
Farmersville Police Department, 909 W. Visalia Rd., Farmersville
Woodlake Police Department, 350 N. Valencia Blvd, Woodlake
Lindsay Police Department, 185 N. Gale Hill, Lindsay
(The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Too often, unused prescription drugs end up in the wrong hands. That’s both dangerous and tragic. You can clean out your medicine cabinets and turn in prescription drugs safely and anonymously.
More than 9.9 million pounds of expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications were collected nationwide (nearly 5,000 tons) during 15 previous events over the past eight years. The Drug Enforcement Administration expects to reach a total of 10 million pounds collected following Saturday’s fall 2018 Take back event. DEA and its national, tribal and community partners will hold the 16th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day across the country on Saturday, October 27.
This 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.
Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including 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—pose potential safety and health hazards.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Oct. 27, 2018 Take Back Day event, go to the http://www.dea.gov/index.shtml or call Teresa Douglass, Sheriff’s public information officer, at 559-802-9412.