Newport Police 'Take Back' 225 Pounds of Prescription Drugs

Newport Beach police collected more than 200 pounds of unwanted prescription drugs over the weekend as part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Drug Take-Back Initiative.

Held Saturday at the OASIS Senior Center in Corona del Mar, police spokeswoman Kathy Lowe said "a steady flow of people" stopped by the national drug take back day to drop of unwanted pills.

A total of 225 pounds of medication were collected at the event.

"Various types of prescription medication were dropped off," Lowe said. "We don’t track the types of medications as all drop offs are conducted anonymously."

The drugs collected by the Newport Beach police are being stored until Monday morning when a DEA representative will pick them up and take them for proper disposal, Lowe said.

Residents who have any unwanted prescription medications are urged to take the pills out of their original containers and mix them with coffee grounds or kitty litter before being thrown into a trash can. Medications should also be emptied into a sealable bag, empty can or other container to keep the pills from leaking out of the trash.

Last fall 244 tons of prescription drugs were collected at over 5,200 sites nationwide.

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