Home / Blog / April 24, 2021 – Annual Drug Take Back Day
National Drug Take Back Day is this Saturday, April 24th from 10AM-2PM.
As we have discussed in previous blog posts, participation in the annual National Drug Take-Back Day is the best way to get rid of your expired or unused prescription medications in a safe and effective way. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) stated reason for Take Back Day is to “provide opportunity to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths.” Abused prescription drugs are considered both crucial public safety and public health issues.
Listed below are local “National Drug Take Back Day” participating locations and addresses:
Fairfax County, Virginia:
Fair Oaks District Station – 12300 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, Fairfax
Franconia District Station – 6121 Franconia Road, Alexandria
Mason District Station – 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale
McLean District Station – 1437 Balls Hill Road, McLean
Mount Vernon District Station – 2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria
Reston Hospital– 1850 Town Center Pkwy, Reston
Sully District Station – 4900 Stonecroft Boulevard, Chantilly
West Springfield District Station – 6140 Rolling Road, Springfield
Washington, DC
Washington Metropolitan Police Department, Third Police District,1620 V Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009
Washington Metropolitan Police Department, First Police District, 101 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024
Maryland
University of Maryland Police Department of Public Safety, 7569 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD 20742
Prince George’s Police Department, District 1, 5000 Rhode Island Ave, Hyattsville, MD 20781
If you do not see a location near you, you can look one up here. You can also search for year-round pharmaceutical drop off locations here.
This initiative is led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with a goal to provide an anonymous, “safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.”
Alternatively, if you are not able to participate in the National Drug Take-Back event, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides recommendations for how to properly dispose of medications. According to the EPA, medicine disposal that is done properly protects individuals and the environment in the following ways:
“Prevents poisoning of children and pets;
Deters misuse by teenagers and adults;
Avoids health problems from accidentally taking the wrong medicine, too much of the same medicine, or a medicine that is too old to work well;
Keeps medicines from entering streams and rivers when poured down the drain or flushed down the toilet.”
Practicing safe prescription drug disposal is a civic responsibility that we should all care about. Attorneys at Regan Zambri Long PLLC are here to answer any questions you may have. Contact us.