Saturday is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

This is a great time to clean out the medicine cabinet and get rid of any expired or no longer needed prescription medications you still have.

This Saturday, October 28, is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration.  The goal is to get potentially dangerous, unused and unwanted prescription medications out of homes in an effort to cut down on the number of overdose deaths and addictions, especially those involving opioids.

Simply take medications (no needles) to any of the following locations in the CSRA Saturday, where they will be safely collected and destroyed by law enforcement personnel:

Richmond County:

Columbia County:

Aiken County:

Hours at all drop-off locations Saturday are from 10 am until 2 pm.

Communities across the country removed nearly 664,000 pounds of unneeded prescription medications during the last Prescription Drug Take Back Day in the spring.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, over 71% of prescription pain medications are obtained from family and friends, and 5% took the medication from a friend or relative without asking.  Health officials advise against flushing old or unwanted medications down the toilet or drain.  They can pollute the water and unintentionally expose people and animals to the the chemical contained in the medications.  In fact, some medications, such as hormones and antidepressants, include endocrine disrupting compounds that interfere with the reproduction and normal growth of many aquatic species, such as frogs and fish.

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