National Drug Take Back Day is this Saturday, October 24th from 10AM-2PM.
Do you have expired or unused prescription medications around your house? Participation in the annual National Drug Take-Back Day is the best way to get rid of them 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 addition 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:
Washington, DC
Maryland
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:
Practicing safe prescription drug disposal is a civic responsibility that we should all care about.