Nationwide Annual Drug Take Back Day April 28

 

Help Reduce Drug Abuse on Take Back Day

Contributed by Victor Andino, OFCHI

Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue, leading to potential accidental poisoning, misuse, and overdose. When people dispose of unused drugs properly it saves lives and protects the environment.

April 28, 2018 is DEA National Rx Take Back Day, one day of a twice-yearly effort to give people the chance to safely bring unused medications to disposal locations. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has an easy online tool to find collection sites participating in Take Back Day. Previous Take Back Days have had tremendous results. In October 2017, 5,321 sites across the country collected 456 tons of prescription drugs.

Some fast facts from DEA:

• The non-medical use of prescription drugs ranks second only to marijuana as the most common form of drug abuse in America.
• The majority of teenagers abusing prescription drugs get them from family, friends, and the home medicine cabinet.
• The 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

If you miss drug take back day, this tool can help you find a public disposal location in your area that is available all year. You can toss your medications in the trash, but do it thoughtfully. This brochure explains how to properly dispose of unused medicine.