National Prescription Take Back Day: Here’s where you can drop off unwanted medication
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, Oct. 29.
Now in its 23rd year, the Drug Enforcement Administration-sponsored event provides a safe and convenient way to dispose of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 drop-off sites nationwide. The collection hours are 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. local time.
Collection sites will accept tablets, capsules, patches and other forms of prescription drugs. Liquid products, like cough syrup for example, should be sealed in their original container with the cap tightly sealed. You can also drop off vaping devices and cartridges if the lithium batteries are removed.
They will not accept syringes, sharps or illicit drugs.
READ MORE: Judge rules CVS, Walgreens and Walmart owe 2 Ohio counties $650M in opioids suit
According to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a majority of people who misused a prescription medication obtained the medicine from a family member or friend.
More than 107,000 people in the U.S. died from drug poisoning in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A bag of assorted pills and prescription drugs dropped off for disposal is displayed during the DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 24, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
"This means that someone in the United States is dying of a drug poisoning every five minutes," the DEA said in a news release.
Click here to find a collection site near you.