BeaconMediaNews.com
10 April 7, 2011 - April 13, 2011
DEA Holding Second Nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on April 30th The Drug Enforcement Administration and its Los Angeles area community partners will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous prescription drugs. On Saturday, April 30th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, DEA and its partners will hold their second National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day at sites throughout Southern California. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Last September, Americans turned in over 242,000 pounds—121 tons— of prescription drugs at nearly 4,100 sites operated by more than 3,000 of the DEA’s state and local law enforcement partners. The agency hopes to collect even more this spring by opening the event to long term care facilities. 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--more Americans currently abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, hallucinogens, and heroin combined, according to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. “The Prescription Drug Take-Back program provides area residents with a safe way to dispose of their unwanted medication,” said Timothy J. Landrum, DEA Special Agent in Charge. “Unused or expired medications are a public safety issue, and can lead to accidental poisoning, overdose and abuse. That is why we are committed to helping keep homes in our communities safe, by ridding our medicine cabi-
nets of expired, unused, and unwanted drugs.” The public can find a nearby collection site by visiting www.dea.gov, clicking on the “Got Drugs?” icon, and following the links to a database, where they enter their zip code. Four days after last fall’s event, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances. DEA has begun drafting regulations to implement the Act. For additional information pertaining to DEA and prescription drug abuse, visit www.dea.gov, www. justthinktwice.gov, or www. getsmartaboutdrugs.com.
Temple City's Council Discusses Road Issues Continued from page 1 their regular meeting Tuesday. Council members heard from citizens about community issues, and addressed the business of appointing council members to various committees and ad hocs. Joel Garmica was announced as the winner of the Bike Raffle, and a proclamation was made declaring April 10 – 16 National Library Week. Temple City Mayor Tom Chavez presented the official proclamation to Library Manager Susan Schlaeger at the meeting. Each year, the Mayor chooses City Council members to serve on committees and ad hocs. Members then report back on committee progress at the City Council meetings. Two committees were removed from the list; Athens Waste Disposal Sub-Committee and National Retailer Pursuit Pkgs Ad Hoc Committee, and a new “Budget Ad Hoc” committee was formed. City Attorney Eric S. Vail brought up the point that Ad Hoc committees
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must be short term, impermanent committees, and planned to discuss with Mayor Chavez and City Manager Jose E. Polido whether any of these committees should become standing committees that the public would be able to attend. Councilmember Cynthia Sternquist had one such report on her Foothill Transit Authority meeting, and brought news of the fleet’s first “ecoliner” electric bus. This bus, which is a green alternative to diesel busses, will stop about 10 minutes every 30 miles to recharge its batteries. FTA hopes to make the transition to a fully electric fleet of busses in the near future. The ecoliner bus is also more durable than the standard busses, and will need replacement in 18 years, instead of the usual 12. In the public comments section, Mayor Chavez addressed the concern about street conditions and ongoing road construction, a job contracted out to LA County
Public Works. He promised better communication to the citizens regarding future road construction in their neighborhoods, and planned to look into options for repaving streets rather than putting in patches or repaved stripes on streets that have had pipes dug up and inspected for damage. Also to be investigated by a City engineer are the crosswalk timers, and whether pedestrians have adequate time to cross the street safely. In further efforts to go green, Councilmember Fernando L. Vizcarra urged the community to start a new “buzz” about the possibility for a community garden. A property would need to be contributed, and the garden would need to be approved by City Council. City council meetings are held the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers in the Civic Center, located at 5938 Kauffman Avenue.