Public Can Give Back Unwanted Prescription Drugs At Three Locations

Jackson, TN – On September 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Jackson-Madison County Metro Narcotics Unit and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Bring your medications for disposal to one of the three designated locations.

NORTH
Kroger Pharmacy at 35 West University Parkway

SOUTH
Walgreens at 1405 South Highland

CENTRAL
St. John’s Masonic Lodge at 1341 North Highland

Last April, Americans turned in 552,161 pounds—276 tons—of prescription drugs at over 5,600 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,300 state and local law enforcement partners. In its four previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 1.5 million pounds—nearly 775 tons—of pills.

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—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

Four days after the first event, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances.

DEA is drafting regulations to implement the Act. Until new regulations are in place, local law enforcement agencies like Metro Narcotics and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months.

In addition to the drug take back at the central location, the St. John’s Masonic Lodge will be giving away Child Identification Kits and will also be hosting a fund raising event, the proceeds of which will go to purchase more ID kits.

Union University School of Pharmacy students and other participating members of the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of Jackson-Madison County will be on hand at the take back locations to pass along tips on safe disposal and other topics associated with prescription drugs.