September 22, 2014 - Mariposa, CA- On Saturday, September 27^th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Bring your medications for disposal to the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office located at 4963 10^th Street. Two other Mariposa County locations will be open for pill drop off in our North County; Sheriff Sub-Station One located at 10549 Fiske Road in Greeley Hill and Sheriff Sub-Station Two located at 9729 Merced Falls Road in the Lake Don Pedro Sub-Division. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

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.

Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including 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