One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
16,560 Pounds of Pills Turned In By LA Residents During Prescription Drug Take-Back Event
Photo by somegeekintn via Flickr
Drumroll, please! Here's the tally from the Drug Enforcement Administration for last Saturday's Prescription Drug Take-Back Event: Los Angeles area residents turned in 16,560 pounds of medicine - more than 8 tons. Dang. That's a lot of pills!This was the third event of its kind in the area sponsored by the DEA, and in the past 13 months, the agency and its state, local, and tribal law-enforcement and community partners have managed to collect a combined 40,971 pounds (20.5 tons) of medication from circulation in the Los Angeles area.
The DEA has begun to hold these collection events out of concern for the safety of many residents whose homes are overburdened with pills that could potentially be misused or abused. Because simply tossing the pills, or flushing them down the toilet poses environmental risk, the DEA has been encouraging people to drop off their excess medication at a variety of collection sites on specified days.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
