On Saturday, October 26, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is sponsoring the 27th nationwide “Prescription Drug Take Back” initiative. The “Take Back” initiative seeks to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft through proper disposal of prescription drugs.
Collection sites will be set up nationwide for expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs which will be properly disposed of without threat to the environment. This program is for liquid and pill medications. Vaping pens without batteries and vaping cartridges will also be taken. Needles, new or used, WILL NOT be accepted for disposal. This service is free and anonymous with no questions asked.
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.
Indiana State Police at Evansville, which is located at 19411 Hwy 41 North, will be accepting unused or expired prescription medication on Saturday, October 26, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
