By Annette Pinder
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), prescription drugs that are discarded in the trash are often found, abused, and illegally sold. All too frequently, these medications are ingested by a child, pet, or home visitor, resulting in tragic situations. Also, any drugs flushed down the toilet contaminate the water supply.
Sadly, the U.S. drug epidemic has become a public health, public safety, and national security threat. To combat the situation, each year the DEA hosts National Prescription Take Back Day during the last Saturday of the months of April and October.
During this time, collection sites throughout the nation, and throughout Western New York, are provided for medication drop-off and disposal. To prepare, locate all medications in your household and ensure that they are securely stored (all lids are tightly on bottles, away from the reach of children and pets, etc.); inventory the medications and identify which are unwanted or have expired dates; label each medication with clear signage that indicates disposal; and take them to a collection site.
This year’s National Prescription Take Back Days occur on Saturday, April 27 and Saturday, October 26. Many local police stations, hospitals, and pharmacies have permanent, secure boxes for prescription drop-offs. The DEA also partners with local law enforcement for these “Take Back Days” for proper medication disposal. Since this is a time when many of us are engaged in Spring cleaning, there is no better opportunity to rid our homes of unwanted prescriptions that can fall into the wrong hands.
Visit www.dea.gov/takebackday#collection-locator to learn more about National Prescription Take Back Day and to determine the locations nearest you to safely discard any unwanted or expired medications.
