How to Dispose of Drugs Safely
by Emily Bazar for Kaiser Health News
December 2016
Take them to a collection site or even your local pharmacy
“Vicodin, percocet and other opioid painkillers often languish in medicine cabinets for years, providing easy pickings for someone with an addiction.
The consequences can be deadly. More than 165,000 people in the U.S. died from overdoses related to prescription opioids between 1999 and 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pop singer Prince’s death from a fentanyl overdose earlier this year put a celebrity face on the epidemic.
But flushing unwanted drugs down the toilet can taint water supplies. Drugs tossed into the trash may also harm the environment, and they can be found by children or pets–or adults looking for a high.
The safest and most environmentally responsible option is to take unwanted medications to a drug take-back site. twice a year, the federal government partners with state and local law enforcement to operate temporary collection sites. The next National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day will likely take place in spring 2017. Check www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov for details.”