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Free Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Is Saturday

drug takeback day
Pixabay

It's spring-cleaning time for medicine cabinets. Saturday is the 20th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and many places in the area are offering a way to safely dispose of expired or unneeded medication.

The event is intended to help prevent prescription drug addiction and overdose deaths, which the Drug Enforcement Agency says can be sometimes traced to people's medicine cabinet. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, millions of people misuse prescription pain relievers, stimulants and sedatives each year.

During the October prescription drug take-back event, the DEA says they collected over 492.7 tons of bottles, pills, patches and capsules across the country. Liquids, syringes, sharps and illegal drugs are not accepted.

Drop-offs can be anonymous and no questions are supposed to be asked. 

Participating locations include police and fire departments, some Kroger stores, and common pharmacies like Walgreens.

To find the nearest drop-off location near you, visit the event's website and type in your zip code.

Jolene Almendarez is the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants who came to San Antonio in the 1960s. She was raised in a military family and has always called the city home. She studied journalism at San Antonio College and earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Public Communications from the University of Alaska Anchorage. She's been a reporter in San Antonio and Castroville, Texas, and in Syracuse and Ithaca, New York.