DEA "Rx Take Back Day" Oct. 23...find a location to drop off unused meds
Now that we know we shouldn't flush unused meds down the toilet (or throw them in the trash), proper disposal can be problematic. You can follow links here to find a drop-off location near you:
https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2021/10/19/dea-holds-national-prescription-drug-take-back-day-turn-tide-against-us
"The Drug Enforcement Administration will host its 21st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event offers free and anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide.
According to a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a majority of people who misused a prescription medication obtained the medicine from a family member or friend. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that last year, more than 93,000 people died of drug overdoses in the United States, marking the largest number of drug-related deaths ever recorded in a year. Opioid-related deaths accounted for 75 percent of all overdose deaths in 2020.
For more than a decade, DEAs National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has helped Americans easily rid their homes of unneeded medicationsthose that are old, unwanted, or no longer neededthat too often become a gateway to addiction. Working in close partnership with local law enforcement, Take Back Day has removed more than 7,000 tons of medication from circulation since its inception. These efforts are directly in line with DEAs priority to combat the rise of overdoses plaguing the United States.
The United States is in the midst of an opioid epidemicdrug overdoses are up thirty percent over the last year alone and taking more than 250 lives every day, stated DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. The majority of opioid addictions in America start with prescription pills found in medicine cabinets at home. Whats worse, criminal drug networks are exploiting the opioid crisis by making and falsely marketing deadly, fake pills as legitimate prescriptions, which are now flooding U.S. communities. One thing is clear: prevention starts at home. I urge Americans to do their part to prevent prescription pill misuse: simply take your unneeded medications to a local collection site. Its simple, free, anonymous, and it can save a life....(more)