DEA launches prescription take-back site locator
MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill. — The Drug Enforcement Administration National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day collection site locator is now available online, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy reported Wednesday. The site locator allows consumers to search for a nearby location to dispose of unneeded, unwanted or expired medications on Sept. 27. On this day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., thousands of DEA-coordinated collection sites will be available across the country, and consumers are encouraged to use this opportunity to safely and legally dispose of any unneeded pills, including prescription painkillers and other controlled-substance medications, which can only be accepted for disposal when law enforcement is present.
The take-back service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked, according to the DEA. Participating sites will accept tablets, capsules and all other solid dosage forms of unwanted medication. Personal information may be blacked out on prescription bottles, or medications may be emptied from the bottles into bins provided at the locations.
Consumers have disposed of at least 4.1 million pounds of unwanted medication during previous DEA National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days. During the eighth DEA take-back event on April 26, 2014, more than 6,000 locations provided take-back services across the United States.