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City and DEA preview national drug take‑back; City Hall to accept medications from employees and public partners
Summary
Houston officials and the DEA previewed the national prescription drug take‑back and a City Hall collection for city employees; the segment included partners distributing naloxone and cited the DEA's long‑running collection totals.
Houston officials and federal partners previewed the national prescription drug take‑back program and announced a City Hall collection opportunity for city employees and partners.
On CityPULSE, at‑large Council Member Sally Alcorn and representatives from the mayor’s office of public safety and homeland security promoted an operation where city employees can bring unwanted, unused or expired medications to the City Hall rotunda. The broadcast said all 21,000 city employees are eligible to participate in a special collection for employees.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration participated in the segment and described the agency’s long history with the program. A DEA representative aired on CityPULSE said the agency has collected “19,000,000 pounds of medications” over approximately 16 years of the program. The CityPULSE piece noted the Willard Foundation and students from HCC were present to administer and distribute naloxone at the preview event.
Speakers emphasized the public‑safety rationale: removing unused medicines from homes reduces the chance of diversion and abuse, and take‑back events also serve as opportunities to educate the public. One participant said the operation benefits community safety and youth education.
The broadcast did not provide details on hours of operation for the public collection, secure handling procedures, or whether non‑employees may use the City Hall rotunda collection during the preview. Officials encouraged attendance and described the program as part of an ongoing national effort.
