WASHINGTON — There’s a safe and convenient way to get rid of those bottles of old prescription drugs sitting in your medicine cabinet — National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
Hundreds of local locations are participating in the initiative Saturday, April 30, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
“Get rid of these drugs so that you don’t have the mistakes or the accidental overdoses that you see happening,” said Melvin Patterson of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Patterson said people should eliminate the possibility that they’d mistakenly take wrong, or old, medication. He says getting rid of old medicine also helps prevent abuse by family members such as children or grandchildren.
“They could get in your medicine cabinet and be curious and think this is something they’ve used before and just make a mistake taking it or be experimenting, and you don’t want that,” Patterson said.
Some people flush old medicine down the toilet, but Patterson says that’s bad for the environment.
Find a take-back location near you by visiting the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website.
