Saturday, Oct. 26, is the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) annual National Drug Take Back Day. The Windham County Prevention Partnership, the local coordinator of this event, said in a news release that this initiative "gives communities the opportunity to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft by ridding their homes of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs."
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines left in home cabinets are highly susceptible to misuse and abuse.
Elisha Underwood, director of West River Valley Thrives, says this opportunity is multifaceted. In addition to facilitating disposal of unwanted medications safely, it limits the likelihood of the medication from ending up in the hands of others. It also "gives you less to keep track of," she says.
Rates of prescription drug misuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Additionally, simply throwing unused medicines in the trash or flushing them down the toilet risks environmental harm, theft, and poses a public health hazard.
"One of the main goals of Take Back Day is to prevent prescription drug misuse, particularly opioids and other controlled substances. Research shows that a large portion of misused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, sometimes from home medicine cabinets without anyone being aware," said Cindy Hayford, the director of Deerfield Valley Community Partnership in Wilmington. "By safely disposing of unused or expired medications, Take Back Day reduces the risk of these drugs being misused."
Partners for Take Back Day recommend collecting your expired or unused prescription pills or patches in their original bottles or place them in a disposable bag. Be sure to remove or cover any personal information from the label. Anonymously drop unused medications in an Rx drug drop box near you. The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps.
Bring medications for disposal to any of these locations:
• Messenger Valley Pharmacy - 170 Grafton Rd., Townshend, 802-365-4117.
• Brattleboro Police Department - 62 Black Mountain Rd. #101, 802-257-7946.
• Brattleboro Memorial Hospital - 17 Belmont Ave., 802-257-0341.
• Bellows Falls Police Department - 170 Rockingham St., 802-463-1234.
• Wilmington Police Department - 2 East Main St., 802-464-8593.
• Dover Police Department - 245 VT 100, 802-464-2020.
All locations listed have permanent drop boxes located in the agency's lobby, and boxes are available for pill disposal during open lobby hours, no questions asked. Please note, these locations may have fluctuating hours; please call ahead to confirm hours.
Those unable to make it to a physical drop box can request a postage-paid, medication-safe envelope from the Vermont Department of Health at bit.ly/787-rx and return the unwanted prescription via mail.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.