DEA Take Back events set for Saturday

EAST TEXAS — Local law enforcement agencies and prevention advocates are taking part in the semi-annual DEA Take Back event to be held Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at various locations around East Texas. The Tyler Police Department event will be held in the parking lot at Brookshire’s on Rice Road, while the UT Tyler Police will host another at the UT Health Science Center on Highway 271. Other events will be held at Walmart in Kilgore, Walgreens in Marshall, First National Bank in Jefferson, and Brookshire’s in Pittsburg, with still others promoting their prescription drug disposal boxes that are available year-round.

Residents are encouraged to bring their unused or expired prescription drugs (other than needles or aerosols) to one of these events. Tyler police add that liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs will not be accepted at the Tyler Brookshire’s event. Officials with Next Step Community Solutions say properly disposing of medications not only save lives, but also protects the environment. If unused prescription drugs are thrown in the trash, they can be retrieved and illegally sold or abused. If they’re flushed, they can contaminate the water supply. The DEA recommends take-back programs as the best way to dispose of old drugs. For a list of area Take Back locations, visit this link. Click here for more information on Next Step Community Solutions.