The Walnut Creek Police Department and Kaiser Permanente are participating in the sixth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Saturday, April 26.
Take-Back Days allow the public to help prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, or unwanted prescription drugs.
The collection sites will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the service is free and anonymous -- no questions asked.
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The Walnut Creek police site is the station lobby at 1666 North Main St.
Kaiser's location is at 1425 South Main.
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Medicines that languish in home cabinets create a public health and safety concern because they are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high--more Americans currently abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, hallucinogens, and heroin combined, according to the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.
Other cities' collection sites can be found by visiting www.dea.gov, clicking on the “Got Drugs?” icon, and following the links to a database where they enter their zip code.
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