National drug take back day
By Carin R. Kirkegaard
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) will participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 30.
The nationally recognized day brings awareness to the importance of disposing prescription drugs safely and responsibly. It also provides an opportunity to educate the general public about the potential for the abuse of medications, all while providing a convenient location in the community to turn unused prescriptions in for disposal.
When cleaning out expired and/or unused medicine from cabinets, it may seem easy enough to flush or dump those last couple of pain killers from a root canal six months ago down the drain, but it isn’t the safest for the local environment. According to the DCSO household medication take back program website, “Minor amounts of medication can enter the environment, contaminate drinking water, and affect people and wildlife.”
The DCSO will participate in the national take back day on April 30 and will accept drop offs at its Highlands Ranch Substation, located at 9250 Zotos Drive, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Items are not accepted on holidays.
Additionally, the DEA has three other sites within the Castle Pines community that are public controlled substance disposal locations throughout the entire year:
Walgreens
7370 Lagae Road, Castle Pines, CO 80108
CVS Pharmacy
4050 Future Street, Castle Rock, CO 80109
Kaiser Permanente Castle Rock Pharmacy
4318 Trail Boss Drive, Castle Rock, CO 80104
