The Drug Enforcement Administration will host its 22nd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 30, offering free, anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 locations nationwide, including 60 in Kentucky.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., local time, at police stations, health departments, and pharmacies, among others; so you have plenty of time to gather up those expired or otherwise unused prescription drugs to take to a local collection center.
“Disposing of unneeded medications can help prevent drugs from being misused,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “Overdose deaths continue to hit tragic record highs. I encourage everyone to dispose of unneeded prescription medications now.”
The DEA says drug overdose deaths are up 16 percent in the last year, claiming more than 290 lives every day. According to a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 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 estimates that in the United States, more than 106,000 people died as the result of a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending November 2021, marking the most drug-related deaths ever recorded, with opioid-related deaths accounting for 75 percent of all overdose deaths.
“I encourage everyone to participate in the National Prescription Drug Takeback Day and take just a few minutes to rid their homes of any unneeded or expired medications,” said Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s Louisville Division. “This small act will go a long way in making our communities safer, by providing safe disposal and keeping prescription drugs out of the wrong hands.”
For more than a decade, DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has helped Americans easily rid their homes of unneeded medications that too often become a gateway to addiction. Working in close partnership with local law enforcement, Take Back Day has removed more than 15 million pounds of medication from circulation since its inception.
On April 30, they will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs.
Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illicit drugs will not be accepted.
To find a collection center near you, go to https://www.dea.gov/takebackday#collection-locator.
To see sites within 50 miles of Covington, click here. Keep checking because new sites are added as they are confirmed.
