Attorney General Peter Kilmartin speaks at Prescription Take Back Day press conference. Photo by Andrew Augustus, WPRO News.
By Sam Wroblewski, reporting by Andrew Augustus WPRO News
For the fourth straight year, police agencies across the state will participate in a drive to remove unwanted and expired prescription drugs from people’s homes.
The drive, which will be held Saturday September 27, was created by the DEA as way to cut down on pill abuse, and to get prescription drugs off the streets.
“It’s really an important safety issue, especially with prescription drugs being a problem all across this country and we’re concerned about it being a problem in Rhode Island,” said Attorney General Peter Kilmartin.
The drive will take place between 10:00am and 2:00pm at 44 locations across the state; Richmond Chief of Police Elwood Johnson says the program is a proactive measure to combat a serious issue.
“We encourage people to please bring this stuff in, most of your police departments have permanent drop boxes, you can call your department to find out, if not this is perfect opportunity; you have a four hour window to get rid of those medications and prevent another tragedy,” said Johnson.
Since the start of the Take Back Day in 2010, Rhode Islanders have disposed of over seven tons of unwanted or expired pharmaceutical products.
For a complete list of drop-off sites, visit the Attorney General’s website
