National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, Oct. 26 and local law enforcement will be setting up shop at two different locations in town so that residents can drop off their unused, unneeded or expired prescription medications at a safe place.
From 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, prescription drugs can be dropped off with members of the Owensboro Police Department and Daviess County Sheriff’s Office at Kroger in Wesleyan Park Plaza on Frederica Street and Walmart on Frederica Street.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a public safety and public health issue, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). By offering communities a safe place to dispose of prescriptions, less drugs are flushed into the water system, and less drugs are placed in the wrong hands.
“According to a 2018 national survey on drug use and health, 9.9 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs,” the DEA states. “That same study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.”
Those wishing to drop off their prescriptions on Saturday can do so anonymously, no questions asked.
Daviess County Fiscal Court recently declared Oct. 26 as National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in Daviess County as well.
“National drug take back day events provide an opportunity to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths,” said County Commissioner Mike Koger.
Most prescription drugs will be accepted Saturday, but needles and other sharps, asthma inhalers, mercury thermometers, iodine-containing medications and illicit drugs are exceptions.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day occurs twice a year. The DEA saw 937,443 pounds of prescription drugs collected in April 2019.
For those who can’t make it to Kroger or Walmart on Saturday, OPD and DCSO accept prescription drug take backs on a daily basis, with OPD accepting unused, unneeded or expired prescriptions on weekends as well.
