Bucks wants your unused, outdated medications - to dispose of

To curtail drug abuse, especially by young people, public officials and community groups in Bucks County and the Philadelphia area are targeting unused and out-of-date prescriptions.

"If you have drugs of abuse - OxyContin, another one of the potent painkillers - and you have teenagers in your home," Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler said Wednesday, "you have a potentially lethal combination."

To encourage the safe disposal of prescription drugs, Bucks - which already provides 15 permanent collection boxes - will participate in the third National Prescription Drug Take-Back from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 29, with 45 drop-off spots around the county and more than 380 in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

"It's critical we get drugs of abuse off of shelves and into the boxes," Heckler said.

Bucks collected 850.6 pounds of drugs at the first event by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

In addition, Bucks provides home pickup of unwanted medications from shut-ins, said Melanie Swanson of the Council of Southeast Pennsylvania.

Safe disposal of drugs, she said, is also important. Drugs flushed down the toilet can make their way into the water supply.

The collected drugs are incinerated.