Unused, expired meds sought for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is designed to allow residents to safely dispose of unused, expired or unwanted medication. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Have expired or unneeded prescription drugs you're looking to get out of the medicine cabinet?
Saturday , a host of local police agencies, hospitals and even universities will participate in the 22nd Annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration — a program that, according to DEA statistics, last year saw Americans turn in 744,082 pounds (that's 372 tons) of prescription meds, no questions asked.
The major local police departments — Nassau, Suffolk and the NYPD — all said they have drop boxes for medication surrender available 24/7 and 365 days a year at all precincts.
So do many smaller departments, as well as local hospitals and even a number of universities.
The DEA said the goal of the program is to get unneeded prescription medication out of homes in a nationwide effort to prevent addiction and reduce overdose deaths.
In a statement, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said: "National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is an important part of the DEA's effort to fight the overdose epidemic and save lives. … I encourage everyone across the country to dispose of unneeded medications throughout the year to help keep our communities safe and healthy."
According to DEA statistics, 116 agencies in New York State participated in the event in 2021, with 28,947 pounds of prescription medication surrendered statewide.
Among additional local agencies and entities participating in the 2022 National Take Back Day campaign are: New York State Police, the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department's Community Ambulance Company, Hempstead police, Long Beach police, Garden City police, Adelphi University police, Malverne police, Floral Park police, Northport VA police, Sands Point police, South Shore University Hospital in Oceanside and Southampton Town police.
In Southhampton, town police and the Southampton Town Police Explorers will collect expired and unused medications for "safe disposal" at a host of collection sites between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday. Sites include: The Hampton Bays Community Center, 25 Ponquogue Ave.; the Flanders Community Center, 655 Flanders Rd.; and, the Southampton town police substation at Bridgehampton Commons, 2044 Montauk Hwy.
And officials reminded residents not to flush unused medications down the drain — or the toilet.
"Unused medications that are not disposed of properly can wind up in the hands of our most vulnerable populations, and flushing medication will ultimately wind up in our aquifer and pollute our drinking water," Southampton Town police said in a statement. "Help keep our community safe and clean by turning in your unused medication."
For more information on drug disposal in your area, check with the national DEA website at dea.gov/takebackday.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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