The Sheriff’s Office is providing a valuable resource to the community by setting up disposal bins for the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which takes place this Saturday, April 28, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The event is a collaborative effort between local law enforcement agencies and the Drug Enforcement Administration to encourage residents to properly get rid of their expired or unused drugs.

The goal is to keep these products out of the hands of children. Many household pharmaceuticals are sold and traded among teenagers, who often help themselves to their parents’ medications. The consequences of medications getting into the wrong hands and being abused can be deadly.

Preventing a tragedy can be as simple as taking your unused or expired medications to any of our substations or headquarters and disposing of them properly. Dry medications should be placed in Ziploc bags, and liquid medications should be in sealed containers.

People often ask how they should dispose of expired or unused medications.

The most common questions are, “Can I flush them down the toilet, or should they go in the trash?”

The answer is no to both. Flushing them puts the dissolved chemicals into the water supply. Throwing them away puts the chemicals in the landfill.

The following items can be accepted: prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, medication samples, medications for pets, vitamins, medicated ointments/lotions, inhalers, or liquid medication in leak-proof containers.

The following items cannot be accepted: needles (sharps), controlled substances, medical waste, or IV bags.
The locations are: Ojai Police Department: 402 S. Ventura St. Ojai, Ca. Fillmore Police Department: 524 Sespe Ave. Fillmore, Ca. Headquarters Station: 800 S. Victoria Ave. Ventura, Ca. Camarillo Police Department: 3701 Las Posas Rd. Camarillo, Ca. Moorpark Police Department: 610 Spring Rd. Moorpark, Ca. Thousand Oaks Police Department: 2101 E. Olsen Rd. Thousand Oaks, Ca.

During the past two years, several thousand pounds of medications have been turned in for disposal at police stations throughout the county.

In addition to Saturday’s event, residents can dispose of their medications throughout the year during business hours at any of the stations in the county.