This coming October 22nd, 2016 another National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day will be taking place across the U.S.
For those who have extra, unwanted prescription medications hanging around in night tables, cabinets, kitchen drawers or elsewhere, this is a great way to get rid of them.
The program will run from 10 AM- 2 PM across the country, and aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible way for the public to dispose of unwanted medications. It also has the aim of educating people on the potential for abusing medications, especially addictive ones like painkillers.
Some more info: the event is proving to be popular. It’s the 11th of its kind since the program began back in 2010, and is run by the U.S federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The previous National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day took place this past May and over 893,498 pounds of unwanted medicines- about 447 tons!- were collected, beating a previous record of 390 tons, attained back in the spring of 2014.
But just how useful is it? The DEA states that 8 out of every 10 new heroin users get started on their habit by abusing prescription painkillers and then moving on to heroin when they can’t get their hands on any more pills. So, it looks like: very.
To find a local collection site, enter your zip code here.
State, local, and tribal law enforcement partners are all participating in the collection day and so there could be a site near you.
Last May the top 5 states with the largest collection of medications were Texas (almost 40 tons); California (32 tons); Wisconsin (31 tons); Illinois (24 tons); and Massachusetts (24 tons). Time to clean the cupboards!
Photo Credit: Pavel Kubarkov/Shutterstock
