The Drug Enforcement Administration is sponsoring the 27th nationwide “Prescription Drug Take Back” initiative in an attempt to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft through the proper disposal of prescription drugs.
Collection sites will be set up nationwide this Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the nearest Indiana State Police Post for expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs that will be properly disposed of without posing a threat to the environment. The program is designed for all liquid and pill medications. Vaping pens without batteries and vaping cartridges will also be taken during the program. Needles, new or used, will not be accepted for disposal.
The service is free and anonymous for the community to utilize with no questions asked. The department released the following in anticipation of the program.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.
In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—pose both potential safety and health hazards.
Once again, the Indiana State Police is pleased to partner with the DEA, and as in the past, unwanted medications may be dropped off at any Indiana State Police Post, except for the Toll Road Post.
To locate the closest participating State Police Post, click this link for Indiana State Police on the Map. To find other locations in Indiana or across the U.S. that are participating in the Drug Take Back initiative, click this link to the DEA.