National Prescription Takeback Program October 23

Published October 19, 2021

On Saturday, October 23, 2021, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., the Westlake Police Department, Lake Charles Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration will host the bi-annual National Prescription Takeback program. The National Prescription Takeback program gives the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Residents can bring their pills for disposal to the Lake Charles Civic Center at 900 Lakeshore Drive in Lake Charles or the Westlake Police Department at 2405 Guillory St in Westlake. Officers will be accepting these unwanted prescription drugs. Liquids, needles, or sharp objects cannot be accepted, only pills or patches.
The service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked.

Many pharmacies also have drop-off boxes available year-round.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.