National Rx Drug Take-Back Day, October 2016.

Rx Drug Take-Back Event Collects 188+ Pounds of Medication

Author: Health Agency
Date: 10/30/2018 4:37 PM

More than 188 pounds of medication were recently returned at National Rx Drug Take-Back Day here in SLO County.

Hundreds of residents helped make SLO County safer by dropping off old or unwanted medication at National Rx Drug Take-Back Day on October 27 – for a total of more than 188 pounds (17 boxes!) of unwanted medication. 

Residents returned prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, medicated ointments and inhalers to drop-off points at Twin Cities Hospital, South County SAFE, and Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center. In addition, Meals That Connect provided pre-addressed, postage-paid safe disposal envelopes to more than 250 local seniors who weren't able to visit the take-back events in person.

If you missed the event and would like to safely dispose of unwanted medication, it's not too late! You can  safely return your medicine at the pharmacy. All pharmacies in SLO County either have a drug take-back kiosk or will give you an envelope that is postage paid and pre-addressed to a safe drug disposal facility. Next time you fill a prescription, ask the pharmacist for a safe disposal take-back envelope and you'll be ready in advance.

The reasons are simple: 

  • Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue, leading to accidental poisoning, overdose, and abuse.
  • Pharmaceutical drugs can be just as dangerous as street drugs when taken without a prescription or a doctor’s supervision.
  • The non-medical use of prescription drugs ranks second only to marijuana as the most common form of drug abuse in America – for youth and adults
  • Unused prescription drugs thrown in the trash can be retrieved and abused or illegally sold. Unused drugs that are flushed contaminate the water supply. Proper disposal of unused drugs saves lives and protects the environment.
  • According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.2 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs that year. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

Since October 2017, the SLO Opioid Safety Coalition has facilitated the safe disposal of more than 1600 pounds of prescription medications through take-back events like this one, in addition to the medications collected through local pharmacies’ take-back programs.

National Rx Drug Take-Back Days are hosted by communities nationwide on this day. For more information, check out the National Take-Back Day website or call 805-781-1195.