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Delaware Department of Justice
Attorney General
Kathy Jennings


Biden Urges Delawareans To “Take Back” Unneeded Prescription and Over-The-Counter Drugs


Attorney General’s Office to Sponsor 3 Sites in Free Statewide Initiative Tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2p.m
Wilmington – Noting that in 2009 7 million Americans 12 years of age and older abused prescription drugs for non-medical reasons, Attorney General Beau Biden urged Delaware consumers to participate in tomorrow’s free statewide prescription drug take-back events where people can anonymously discard unused, unwanted, or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications “One of the most common ways for abusers to obtain prescription drugs is by raiding the medicine cabinets and even the trash cans of friends and family members,” Attorney General Biden said. “But that also means that one of the simplest ways to fight abuse is to responsibly get rid of drugs that are no longer wanted or needed. The Prescription Drug Take-Back provides a quick and effective opportunity to make our homes and communities safer.” Governor Markell and his Cabinet, the Attorney General’s office, state and local police agencies, and healthcare organizations have teamed up with the Drug Enforcement Administration to host 31 drop-off sites statewide tomorrow, April 28 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is sponsoring three drop-off sites tomorrow at the following locations:
New Castle County:
Shipley Manor
2723 Shipley Road, Wilmington
Kent County:
Heritage at Dover
1203 Walker Road, Dover
Sussex County:
Beebe Tunnell Cancer Center
18947 John Jay Williams Hwy, Rehoboth Beach
Information about all of Delaware’s 31 drop-off sites is available online at www.dea.gov (click on “Got Drugs”) or call 1-800-882-9539. 8,800 pounds of unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medications were collected in Delaware during last year’s Prescription Drug Take-Back events. Drop-off sites are located statewide, and the process is free and anonymous. Note:
• Prescription and over-the-counter solid dosage medications (i.e. tablets and capsules) are
accepted.
• Consumers are encouraged to remove personal information from bottles and packages.
• Intravenous solutions, injectables and needles will not be accepted.
• Illicit substances such as marijuana and methamphetamine are not part of the program.
Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States, second only to
marijuana use as the most common form of drug abuse. Most prescription drugs used for non-medical
purposes are obtained from friends, family members, or the home medicine cabinet. National Take-
Back Day coordinates the effort to provide a safe and easy way to dispose of these medications, since
throwing the substances away provides an easy source of drugs for those who would abuse or sell
them, and flushing drugs can result in water contamination.
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