INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller encourages Indiana residents to dispose of any unused or unwanted medications during the next National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Drop-off locations across the state will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications and over-the-counter solid dosage medications such as tablets and capsules will be accepted.
“Over the years, Take-Back Days have proven to be one of the best times to clean out the medicine cabinet and get rid of old, unused prescription drugs,” Zoeller said. “Keeping unneeded drugs around the house invites the possibility of misuse or abuse, and can be especially dangerous if there are young children or teens in the home. Remember that more than half of people who misuse prescription painkillers for the first time report obtaining the drugs from friends or relatives.”
Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States. One in five Indiana teenagers has admitted to abusing prescription drugs, and someone dies from a prescription drug overdose every 25 minutes.
Zoeller is founder and co-chair of the Indiana Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force, which was established in 2012 to address this growing epidemic in the Hoosier State.
“Prescription drug abuse continues to be a significant problem. Last year again, more people died from prescription drug abuse than from automobile accidents,” said Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Dennis Wichern, who is responsible for DEA operations in Indiana. “The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day campaign is an important first step in keeping prescription drugs out of the hands of those who may misuse them, as well as helping to raise the public’s awareness about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.”
Zoeller stressed the importance of properly disposing of unwanted medications, not simply flushing them down the toilet or tossing them in the trash. Doing so, he said, can pose possible safety and health risks.
Earlier this month, the DEA announced new guidelines that will give consumers more options to dispose of prescription drugs safely and conveniently. Currently, drugs can only be dropped off with law enforcement agencies or on special Take-Back Days, like the one coming up this weekend. But starting Oct. 9, pharmacies and other health-care facilities will be able to register as collectors and accept controlled substances year-round.
“We have worked with our partners at DEA in support of efforts that will allow people to dispose of their medications anytime they visit their local pharmacy, which is a significant step forward in this fight,” Zoeller said.
The Indiana State Police Capitol Police Division is hosting a drop-off site in downtown Indianapolis on Friday, Sept. 26, to kick-off awareness efforts across the state. Zoeller will attend the event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Robert Orr Plaza, between the government buildings.
DEA Take-Back Days in Indiana alone have resulted in the collection of more than 60 tons of unwanted prescription drugs since 2010.
To locate a drop-off site near you, visit www.dea.gov or by call 1.800.882.9539. Intravenous solutions, needles and illicit substances like marijuana or methamphetamines will not be accepted.
For more information on the Indiana Attorney General’s Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force, visitwww.BitterPill.IN.gov. Information about the DEA’s new prescription drug disposal guidelines can be found here:http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/index.html.
