Of the many important tasks on your to-do list this week, be sure to take time to clean out your medicine cabinet of unused and unneeded medications. This single act is more important than you realize. October 23rd is Drug Take Back Day nationwide and local agencies participate in order to make our communities a safer place. Prescription drug abuse is on the rise. In 2019 in the United States, it was estimated that 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives. What is even more disturbing is that a great majority of the misused prescription drugs were actually taken from the home medicine cabinets of the user’s family and friends. Drug Take Back Day provides drop off locations for unused and unwanted medications, no questions asked. The Take Back Day website shows that on Saturday from 10am to 2pm, Uintah County Sheriff’s Office will be at the Vernal Walmart parking lot, Bureau of Indian Affairs officers will be at the Ute Plaza parking lot, and Craig Police Department will be at the Craig Walmart parking lot. Visit www.TakeBackDay.dea.gov for more information.
