Dispose of unwanted medications April 28 – National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

CLEVELAND, Ohio – People who have unwanted or expired prescription medications are encouraged to dispose of them on Saturday, April 28 – National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.4 million Americans abused controlled prescription drugs, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

People can find the nearest collection site by entering their ZIP code and city on takebackday.dea.gov/. Many are permanent drop boxes located at police stations.

Cuyahoga County has more than 40 Rx Drug Drop Boxes at law enforcement agencies.

In addition, drop boxes are on Cuyahoga Community College campuses.

All non-liquid prescription medications can be dropped off. Liquids, needles, and illegal drugs are not accepted.

Take Back events are held twice a year. The 15th annual event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

National results for the April 2017 National Take Back Day were:

• Total law enforcement participation: 4,223
• Total collection sites: 5,498
• Total weight collected: 900,386 pounds (450 tons)

In 2017 Cuyahoga County residents turned in 12,478 pounds of prescription drugs.

More information is available at knowtherx.org.