Drag out Your Drugs for Take Back Day

Now is a great time to clear out your medicine cabinets of all expired, unused or unwanted prescription meds. But don't throw them in the trash or flush them down the toilet; bag them up and turn them in for the Drug Enforcement Administration's first annual Take Back Day.

On Sept. 25, prescription meds can be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Department of Public Safety, located at the intersection of Baltimore Avenue and Rosborough Lane.

The one-day initiative, sponsored by state police departments and the Drug Enforcement Administration, provides secure collection sites where residents nationwide can safely discard medications they've held onto for years because they weren't sure what to do with them. The collection effort is anonymous – there will be no questions asked of residents turning over prescription drugs, or other controlled substances.

"It keeps drugs out of the hands of kids," said Daphne Pee, of the University of Maryland's Mid-Atlantic Water Program. "Kids are self-medicating and because they are using prescription drugs they don't think it's a risk to them. They are [also] passing these drugs to [others]."

Safe collection of controlled substances is also intended to protect drinking water and waterways nationwide. Active ingredients in prescription medications have been detected in the nation's lakes, streams and rivers in recent years. And although the harm to human and wildlife health is unclear, public concern about the long-term effects of the low-dose combo of meds floating in the nation's drinking water is growing.

Pee said that some communities have sponsored drug collection initiatives before, but having this level of support with collection from the Drug Enforcement Administration is unprecedented. "For the DEA to tell all who wanted to join [this effort] that they would take care of the disposal … that is phenomenal."

Collection dos and don'ts

Remove labels bearing personal information from medicine bottles before handing them over to police. Although collection is anonymous, it's good standard practice for guarding against identity theft. If you can't peel off the label, use a permanent marker to scratch out your information.

Residents bringing liquid prescription meds such as cough syrups should leave them in their original containers tightly sealed to avoid leakage. Medications in powdered, granule, tablet, suppository or capsule form may be left in their original containers, or removed before they're handed over to police. Don't bring intra-venous solutions or injection syringes because of the potential hazard posed by blood-borne pathogens.

All meds collected will ultimately be incinerated in compliance with federal law.

Prescription Drug Take-Back Program Q's and A's