Locals can drop off their unwanted prescription drugs at some Arlington fire stations this weekend.
The Arlington County Police Department will accept the medicine, without any questions asked, as part of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Saturday. The initiative is intended to help prevent prescription drug abuse, accidental ingestion and water contamination.
The fire stations, which will collect pills and patches from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, are at:
- 500 S. Glebe Road
- 4845 Lee Highway
- 1900 S. Walter Reed Drive
“Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse,” an Arlington County news release says. “Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are 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.”
Residents who can’t participate in the event should throw their medicine in the trash, according to the county.
Photo via Wikimedia/Sponge