Indiana State Police Partners with the DEA for 25th Prescription Drug Take Back Day
Saturday, October 28th, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is sponsoring their 25th “Prescription Drug Take Back” initiative. The “Take Back” initiative seeks to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft through proper disposal of unwanted prescription drugs.
Collection sites will be set up nationwide for expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs which will be properly disposed of without threat to the environment. This program is for pill and liquid medications. Vaping pens without batteries and vaping cartridges will also be taken. Needles, new or used, WILL NOT be accepted for disposal. This service is free and anonymous with no questions asked.
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, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.
In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—pose both potential safety and health hazards.
Once again, the Indiana State Police is pleased to partner with the DEA, and as in the past, unwanted medications may be dropped off at any Indiana State Police Post, except for the Toll Road Post. The event will be on Saturday, October 28, 2023, between the hours of 10am-2pm.
To locate the State Police Post closest to your home or business, click this link for Indiana State Police on the Map. To find other locations in Indiana or across the U.S. that are participating in the Drug Take Back initiative, click this link to the DEA.
Indiana and 41 other states sue Meta over child protection
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and 41 other Attorneys General sued Meta in federal and state courts alleging that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens. At the same time, Meta falsely assured the public that these features are safe and suitable for young users. They assert that Meta’s business practices violate state consumer protection laws and the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
These practices have harmed and continue to harm the physical and mental health of children and teens and have fueled what the U.S. Surgeon General has deemed a “youth mental health crisis” which has ended lives, devastated families, and damaged the potential of a generation of young people.
The federal complaint alleges that Meta knew of the harmful impact of its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, on young people. Instead of taking steps to mitigate these harms, it misled the public about the harms associated with use of its platform, concealing the extent of the psychological and health harms suffered by young users addicted to use of its platforms.
The complaint further alleges that Meta knew that young users, including those under 13, were active on the platforms, and knowingly collected data from these users without parental consent, targeting these young users noting, as reported in a 2021 Wall Street Journal article, that such a user base was “valuable, but untapped.”
While much of the complaint relies on confidential material that is not yet available to the public, publicly available sources including those previously released by former Meta employees detail that Meta profited by purposely making its platforms addictive to children and teens. Its platform algorithms push users into descending “rabbit holes” in an effort to maximize engagement.
Meta allegedly knew these addictive features harmed young people’s physical and mental health, including undermining their ability to get adequate sleep, but did not disclose the harm nor did they make meaningful changes to minimize the harm. Instead, they claimed their platforms were safe for young users.
These choices, the complaint alleges, violate state consumer protection laws and COPPA. The federal complaint seeks injunctive and monetary relief to rectify the harms caused by these platforms.
Multiple states also sued TikTok for similar conduct, following Indiana’s lead.
Investigators Seek Information with Hit/Skip Personal Injury Crash on I-69 Near Auburn
The Indiana State Police is currently investigating a personal injury crash in which a pedestrian was struck by a passenger vehicle on the southbound side of I-69 near the 323-mile marker. The crash occurred this past Saturday night October 21,2023 shortly after 9pm. For specific reference to the area, the crash occurred on I-69 under the Dekalb County CR68 overpass.
The injured male pedestrian was transported by Dekalb Parkview EMS to a Fort Wayne area hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. The involved driver/vehicle left the scene before troopers arrived. Investigators are requesting the publics assistance as they try to identify the involved driver and/or vehicle.
Anyone that may have observed the crash incident and/or have specific information about the involved driver or vehicle, please contact Trooper Blake Kugler with the Indiana State Police Fort Wayne Post @ (260) 432-8661. For callers wishing to remain anonymous, all information provided may be kept confidential.
This Week in Hoosier History
1973 – Allan “Rocky” Lane died at the age of 74. Born in Mishawaka, he was an actor who appeared in over 125 movies and TV shows. He was most famous as the voice of the talking horse, Mr. Ed.
For more local news . . . Check out our archived episodes of What’s Happenin’ and Talkin’ Sports with Nick Jenkinson