The U. S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s Diversion Control Division established April 22 as The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in 2010.
The goal of the program is to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while educating the public about the potential for abuse of medications left unsecured.
One of the objectives of the program is to avoid disposal of drugs by flushing them into the local sewage system, which causes water pollution, as stated on the SJC Facebook page.
Municipal sewage treatment plants are not designed to treat pharmaceuticals, and the drugs tend to pass through the plant untreated, to the receiving body of water.
San Juan County residents and others may drop off expired or unwanted drugs at several locations throughout the county.
Farmington Police Department will accept prescription drugs for proper disposal from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Farmington Police Station, 900 N. Municipal Drive.
San Juan County has designated the following drop-off locations for disposal of prescription drugs on a regular basis:
- Kirtland Substation, 6 County Road 6360, Kirtland.
- Lee Acres Substation, 21 County Road 5500, Farmington.
- Sheriff’s Office, 211 S. Oliver Drive, Aztec.
- Bloomfield Police Department, 711 Ruth Lane, Bloomfield.
- Aztec Police Department, 201 W. Chaco St., Aztec.
Citizens are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to safely dispose of opioids and all other prescription medications.
Prescription opioids are a class of drugs that include the heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and prescription pain relievers.
Opioids contain chemicals that relax the body and relieve pain, and are commonly prescribed to moderate to severe pain. Some opioids are used to treat coughing and diarrhea. Opioids can be highly addictive, and overdoses and death are common.
Common prescription opioids include hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet), oxymorphone (Opana), morphine (Kadian, Avinza), codeine and fentanyl.
Drug take back events occur twice annually, in the spring and in the fall. The service is free and anonymous.
