‘Take Back Day’ slated for April 28

Morehead State University’s Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will host a “Take Back Day,” Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The event gives the public its 15th opportunity in seven years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

Participants can bring their pills for disposal to the drop box in the lobby outside the MSUPD at 100 Laughlin Health Building any time before 2 p.m.  Disposed drugs may be in or out of a container, but needles are not permitted. All items will be collected and destroyed by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Please remove label or black out names on any prescription bottles.

The police department is open 24 hours a day, year-round. The program is open to the public, and all drop-offs are confidential.

Last October, Americans nationwide did their part to reduce the opioid crisis by bringing the DEA and its more than 4,200 local and tribal law enforcement partners a record-setting 912,305 pounds—456 tons—of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs for disposal at more than 5,300 collection sites. That is almost six tons more than was collected at last spring’s event. This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the fall of 2010 to 9,015,668 pounds, or 4,508 tons.

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.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 28 “Take Back Day” event, go to the DEA Diversion website. 

Additional information is available by calling the MSU Police Department at 606-783-2035 or visit us at www.moreheadstate.edu/police or www.facebook.com/msupd.