Do prescription bottles fall out of your medicine cabinet every time you open the door? Do you even remember what some of them are for? Here’s a safe way to clear that clutter: drop them off on April 29 from 10 am to 2 pm during National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
The event provides a free, safe, convenient and responsible way to dispose of unused, unwanted, and expired prescription drugs that might be hanging around in your medicine cabinet.
It’s important to get these drugs out of the house: In a recent survey, the majority of prescription drug abusers said they get their drugs from unsuspecting friends and family. Leaving medications around can be tempting for curious teens and anyone who enters your home.
The most heavily abused medications are prescription opioid painkillers, which many people are prescribed for pain—but they’re hard to get. Abuse of opioids can be devastating and can result in overdose and death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said opioids accounted for 20,808 drug overdoses—78 a day—in 2014.
Abusers are not the only ones at risk. Seniors may mistakenly take discontinued medications they have in their medicine cabinets and young children could be accidentally poisoned by swallowing medications not properly stored out of their reach.
The Department of Consumer Affairs’ California State Board of Pharmacy encourages the public to participate in Drug Take-Back Days; to get ready for the event, consumers are asked to remove pills from bottles and put them into a plastic bag and seal it. Liquids should be kept in the original bottle. Items that will be accepted during Drug Take-Back Day include prescription and non-prescription medications, controlled substances, and veterinary medications. Items that will not be accepted include sharps or lancets, medical waste, illicit drugs, marijuana products, aerosols, or hydrogen peroxide.
During last year’s Drug Take-Back event, Americans turned in 447 tons of unused prescription drugs—the largest amount since the event began in 2010. At the 2016 Drug Take-Back, Californians turned in 32 tons of medications, which put the state in the No. 2 slot for most drugs collected. This shows that Californians are taking the issue very seriously.
To find a collection site, go to the U.S. Department of Justice website or call 1-800-882-9539.
