National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in Indian Country

Native News Network Staff in Native Health. Discussion »

Saturday, October 29

WASHINGTON - Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske and the US Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced that on Saturday, October 29, from 10 am to 2 pm local time, Americans will be able to drop off their expired, unused and unwanted prescription drug pills at sites across Indian Country free of charge, no questions asked.

By doing so, they will be helping prevent drug abuse and theft.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is partnering with national, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, as well as community coalition groups to hold a third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. This one-day event will make it convenient for the public to rid their homes of potentially dangerous prescription drugs.

“Prescription drug abuse is one of the fastest growing drug problems in the country,”

said Kerlikowske. "Data show that 70 percent of the people who abuse prescription drugs get them from the medicine cabinets of friends or family members, which is why properly disposing of unwanted prescription drugs is more important than ever. Together, we can help save lives by promoting the proper disposal of unused prescription drugs."

“Through the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, we can all help to ensure the safety of loved ones and tribal communities,”

Echo Hawk said. "I urge everyone who has unused prescription drugs to turn them in and help us continue to make every Indian home a prescription drug-safe home."

The two previous National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day events turned in more than 309 tons of pills at more than 5,300 sites manned by over 3,800 federal, state and local law enforcement partners.

Unattended or outdated prescription drugs are often found in home medicine cabinets, and create a public health crisis because they are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse.

Prescription drug abuse in the US today is at an alarmingly high level - two-and-a-half times more people currently abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, and inhalants combined, according to the recently released 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The same study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

Four days after the first Take-Back event in September 2010, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an "ultimate user" of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents' controlled substances in certain instances. DEA has begun drafting regulations to implement the Act, a process that can take as long as 24 months. Until new regulations are in place, law enforcement agencies like the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months.

Prescription drug disposal and the Take-Back events are significant pieces of the White House's Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan released this year by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Purging home medicine cabinets of neglected drugs is one of four strategies for reducing prescription drug abuse and diversion laid out in "Epidemic: Responding to America's Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis." The other strategies include education of health care providers, patients, parents and youth; establishing prescription drug monitoring programs in all states; and increased enforcement to address doctor shopping and pill mills.

Below the table of participating Indian country locations:

Penobscot Nation Police Department

25 Wabanaki Way
Indian Island, ME

Narragansett Tribal Police Department

4375b South County Trail
Charlestown, RI

Oneida Indian Nation Police Department

Oneida Indian Nation Health Center
1216 Territory Road
Oneida, NY

Oneida Indian Nation Police Department
Mobile Command Post
5218 Patrick Road (Turning Stone Resort Casino)
Verona, NY

Poarch Creek Tribal Police Department

6217 Jack Springs Road
Atmore, AL

Wind River Reservation

Wind River Police Department
109 Norkok Street Fort
Washakie, WY

Blue Sky Hall
506 Ethete Road
Ethete WY

Great Plains Hall
15 Great Plains Road
Arapahoe WY

Crow Reservation

BIA Forestry Parking
191 Pryor Road
Pryor, MT

Lodge Grass City Hall
110 Hester Avenue
Lodge Grass, MT

Crow Agency Park
Makawashe Avenue
Crow Agency, MT

Kalispel Tribe Public Safety

3292 North Leclerc Road
Usk, WA

Colville Tribal Police

Inchelium Store
38 Short Cut Road
Inchelium, WA

Keller Community Store
11611 S Highway 21
Keller, WA

Nespelem Trading Post Store
3 Lakes Street

Moapa Tribal Police Department

3 Lincoln St
Moapa, NV

Reno Sparks Indian Colony Police Department

Hungry Valley Community Center
9055 Eagle Canyon Dr
Sparks, NV

Walmart
2425 E. 2nd St
Reno, NV

Washoe Tribe Police Department

Carson Colony Gym
2900 South Curry St
Carson City, NV

Stewart Community Center
465 Clear Creek
Carson City, NV

Dresslerville Community Center
828 Boy St
Gardnerville, NV

Flathead Tribal Police

Tribal Complex Center
42492 Complex Blvd
Pablo, MT

BIA Law Enforcement

Community Building
Red Hawk Tail Ave
Fort Yates, ND

Red Gym
Cannonball, SD

District Community Building
Red Hawk Ave
Fort Yates, ND

Nez Perce Tribal Police

Wa-A-Yas
400 Idaho Street
Kamiah, ID

Pineewas
100 Agency Road
Lapwai, ID

Pueblo of Sandia Police Department

Tribal Administration Building
481 Sandia Loop
Bernalillo, NM

Gila River Police Department

District 6 Service Center
5230 W. St. Johns Road
Laveen, AZ

Gila River Police Department
669 W. Seedfarm Road
Sacaton, AZ

Fort Mcdowell Police Department

10755 N. Fort Mcdowell Road
Fort Mcdowell, AZ

Tohono O'odham Nation Police Department

State Route 86
Sells, AZ

Quinault Nation Police Department

Community Center
124 Quinault Street
Taholah, WA

Puyallup Police Department

311 West Pioneer
Puyallup, WA

Lummi Nation Police Department

Fisherman's Cove Store
2557 Lummi View Drive
Bellingham, WA

Washoe Tribe Police Department

Woodfords Community Center
96 B Washoe Blvd
Markleeville, CA

Spokane Tribal Police

Public Safety Building
6203 Ford Wellpinit Road
Wellpinit, WA

Ysleta Independent School District

Ysleta ISD Police Department
9600 Sims
El Paso, TX

Duckwater Tribal Police

209 Newe Street
Duckwater, NV

Ely Soshone Tribal Police Department

101 Heritage Dr
Ely, NV

Fallon Tribal Police Department

Fox Peak Station
615 E. Williams Ave
Fallon, NV

Leech Lake Tribal Police Department

6242 Us Hwy #2
Cass Lake, MN

Onigum Community Center
County Road #13
Walker, MN

Bena Post Office
County Road #8
Bena, MN

Ball Club Community Center
County Road #39
Deer River, MN

St Croix Tribal Police Department

Maple Plain Tribal Community Center
247 25 3/4 - 26th Ave
Cumberland, WI

Little River Band of Ottawa Indians DPS

3031 Domres Road
Manistee, MI

Sault Tribe Police Department

Sault Tribal Health
2864 Ashmun Street
Sault Sainte Marie, MI

Tonawanda Police Department

Kenmore Mercy Hospital
2950 Elmwood Avenue
Kenmore, NV

Degaff Memorial Hospital
445 Tremont Street
North Tonawanda, NV

Seneca Nations of Indians

Cattaraugus Indian Reservation Health Center
36 Thomas Indian School Drive
Irving, NV

Lionel R. John Health Center
987 R.C. Hoag Drive
Salamanca, NV

Mashantucket Police Department

Mashantucket Community Center
2 Matts Path
Mashantucket, CT

Foxwoods Resort &Amp; Casino
25 Norwich Westerly Rd
Mashantucket, CT

Cherokee Indian Police Department

Food Lion Shopping Center
16 Cherokee Crossing
Whittier, NC

Snowbird Recreation Center
54 Indian School Rd
Robbinsville, NC

Cherokee County Community Bldg
59 Hiwassee St
Murphy, NC

Sycuan Tribal Police Department

5522 Sycuan Road
El Cajon, CA

Additional nearby collection sites can be found by visiting www.dea.gov/Got Drugs? which links to a database where you can enter your Zip code.

posted October 28, 2011 1:50 pm edt