The National Drug Take-Back Day aids in the prevention of medication abuse and theft by ridding homes of potentially dangerous medications that are expired, unused and unwanted. Sites cannot accept personal care items, needles or sharps, liquid injectables, illegal drugs, thermometers and other mercury items, hydrogen peroxide or inhalers. The service is free and anonymous; no questions asked.
Last fall Americans turned in nearly 372 tons of prescription drugs at more than 4,900 sites operated by the DEA with 4,276 state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 21 previous Take-Back events, the DEA and its partners have taken in over 15 million pounds of pills.
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. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows, year after year, that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen 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 potential safety and health hazards.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 30 Take-Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com or contact Angela Saunders, director of PEP, by phone at 304-552-3528.