Police in North Park host National Prescription Drug Take Back Day site

The North Park Police Station, 700 West Ridge Drive, will serve as a site for Allegheny County police’s participation in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30, area residents can drop off any over-the-counter, controlled substance or prescription-required drugs. Tablets, capsules, ointments, creams, and liquids will be accepted in packaging. There is no need to take medicines out of the original package or container.

The event is anonymous, and no questions or requests for identification will be made by law enforcement personnel to anyone submitting medications.

Sharpies and syringes will not be accepted because of safety reasons. Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not part of this initiative and should not be placed in collection boxes.

“Unfortunately, we regularly deal with issues related to the opioid epidemic,” police Superintendent Christopher Kearns said. “We are glad to partner with DEA in getting unneeded prescription medications off the street and urge residents to take advantage of this opportunity to safely dispose of these medications.”

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in October boasted close to 5,000 collection sites nationwide, with more than 4,200 state and local law enforcement partners participating. The collection netted 745,000 pounds of medicines.

In the 22-year history of the event, more than 15.2 million pounds of medications have been collected by various partners with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.