Tennessee Holds Statewide Prescription Drug Take Back Day Today: Free, Anonymous Drop-Off From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tennessee's Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the Department of Environment and Conservation announced that on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the state is holding its National Prescription Drug Take Back Day event, at which residents can bring no-longer-needed, expired or leftover prescription and over-the-counter medications to collection sites for free, safe and anonymous disposal. The two departments said local law enforcement agencies, anti-drug coalitions and community organizations are jointly staffing collection sites statewide; clearing out unused medications at home helps reduce the risk of accidental poisoning and drug misuse and keeps drugs out of waterways, protecting Tennessee's environment and waters. At the April take-back event this year, Tennessee residents safely disposed of 23,384 pounds of medication. Commissioner Marie Williams of the mental health department said take-back day is a simple step that makes families and communities safer, and that taking a few minutes to dispose of unused medication reduces the chance of addictive drugs falling into the wrong hands. Environment and Conservation Commissioner David Salyers said proper disposal keeps medication out of waterways. Residents who cannot attend the day's event can also use nearly 400 permanent drug take-back boxes across the state - at least one in every county, mostly located in pharmacies and law enforcement agencies and available year-round for anonymous drop-off. Nearby collection sites can be found on the state's take-back day page.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：田纳西州议会大厦（资料图）。照片：Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 2.0）。Tennessee State Capitol (file photo). Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
