Opioid crisis magnifies importance of getting old drugs out of medicine cabinets

Saturday is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and this year it’s happening during a surge in opioid deaths.

Disposing of old prescription drugs is all the more important because they have been linked to the use of heroin. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that “a study of young, urban injection drug users interviewed in 2008 and 2009 found that 86 percent had used opioid pain relievers nonmedically prior to using heroin, and their initiation into nonmedical use was characterized by three main sources of opioids: family, friends, or personal prescriptions.”

In D.C., for example, the city has lost 243 people this year to fatal opioid overdoses as of Oct. 18. That compares to 173 homicides in the city as of Oct. 21. Year-over-year, 93 people in the city died of opioid overdoses in the first quarter of 2020 compared to 100 opioid overdose deaths in the first quarter of 2021.

Nationwide, drug overdoses have likely already surpassed 100,000 this year in America — a nearly 30% increase over the previous year — according to new analysis by Drug Helpline.

After smoking pot, the second-most common form of drug abuse in America is nonmedical use of prescription drugs.

Since its inception more than a decade ago, Drug Take Back Day has removed more than 7,000 tons of medication from circulation.

For people who are interested, but unable to participate in Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, there are permanent lockboxes for old medications regionwide at some police stations, hospitals and drugstores.

You can find those lockbox locations and participating Drug Take Back Day sites by ZIP code on the Drug Enforcement Administration website.

“Over the pandemic we have seen a sharp increase in overdose deaths, and the path to opioid abuse can begin in the home with unused prescription drugs,” said U.S. Attorney for Maryland Erek L. Barron in a news release. “Proper disposal of unused and unneeded prescription drugs will help prevent drug abuse and opioid addiction.”

Drug Take Back Day is free and anonymous; no questions asked. But participants should know what will and won’t be collected.

Not welcome, according to the new release, are liquids, including intravenous solutions, syringes and other sharps items, as well as illegal drugs.

Items that will be collected include tablets, capsules, patches and other solid forms, as well as vape pens or other e-cigarette devices but only after the batteries are removed from the devices.

“If the battery cannot be removed, individual consumers can check with large electronic chain stores who may accept the vape pen or e-cigarette devices for proper disposal,” the release states.

According to D.C. police, over 800,000 pounds of pharmaceuticals were surrendered in April 2021, during another national push for people to turnover unused prescription drugs.

For tips on safely disposing of drugs at home, people can find advice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Below are some drop-off sites in the D.C. area for Drug Take Back Day, which takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For a complete list by zip code, click here.

DC

Howard University College of Pharmacy: 2300 4^th St. in Northwest
Medstar National Rehabilitation Hospital: 102 Irving St. in Northwest
Sibley Memorial: 5215 Loughboro Road in Northwest
Washington Metropolitan Police Department 1st District: 101 M St. in Southwest
Washington Metropolitan Police Department 2nd District: 3320 Idaho Ave. in Northwest
Washington Metropolitan Police Department 3rd District: 1620 V St. in Northwest
Washington Metropolitan Police Department 4th District: 6001 Georgia Ave. in Northwest
Washington Metropolitan Police Department 5th District: 1805 Bladensburg Road in Northeast
Washington Metropolitan Police Department 6th District: 5002 Hayes St. in Northeast
Washington Metropolitan Police Department 7th District: 2455 Alabama Ave. in Southeast

Maryland

All 23 Maryland State Police barracks. For a list of locations, click here.

Anne Arundel County:

Naval Support Activity Security Department: 695 Kinkaid Road in Annapolis

Howard County:

Gary Arthur Community Center: 2400 Rt. 97 in Cooksville
HC DrugFree: 10451 Twin Rivers Road in Columbia
Howard County General Hospital: 5755 Cedar Lane in Columbia
Howard County Police District 1 Station: 3410 Courthouse Drive in Ellicott City
Howard County Police District 2 Station: 11226 Scaggsville Road in Laurel

Montgomery County:

Churchill Senior Living: 21000 Father Hurley Blvd. in Germantown
Gaithersburg Police Department: 14 Fulks Corner Ave. in Gaithersburg
Jewish Community Center: 6125 Montrose Road in Rockville
Leisure World: 3305 N Leisure World Blvd. in Silver Spring
Montgomery County 1^st District Police Station: 100 Edison Park Drive in Gaithersburg
Montgomery County 2^nd District Police Station: 4823 Rugby Ave. in Bethesda
Montgomery County 3rd District Police Station: 811 George Ave. in Silver Spring
Montgomery County 4th District Police Station: 2300 Randolph Road in Silver Spring
Montgomery County 5th District Police Station: 2000 Aircraft Road in Germantown
Montgomery County 6^th District Police Station: 45 W Watkins Mill Road in Gaithersburg
Rockville City Police Department: 2 W Montgomery Ave. in Rockville
Suburban Hospital: 8600 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda

Prince George’s County:

Hyattsville City Police: 4310 Gallatin St. in Hyattsville
Laurel Police Department: 811 5^th St. in Laurel
Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles: 6601 Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie
Prince George’s County Police District 1 Station: 5000 Rhode Island Ave. in Hyattsville
Prince George’s County Police District 2 Station: 601 Crain Highway in Upper Marlboro
Prince George’s County Police District 3 Station: 7600 Barlowe Road in Palmer Park
Prince George’s County Police District 4 Station: 5135 Indian Head Highway in Oxon Hill
Prince George’s County Police District 5 Station: 6707 Groveton Drive in Clinton
Prince George’s County Police District 6 Station: 4321 Sellman Road in Beltsville
Prince George’s County Police District 7 Station: 11108 Fort Washington Road in Fort Washington
Rite-Aid:
- 5741 Silver Hill Road in District Heights
- 6130 Baltimore Ave. in Riverdale
University of Maryland Police Department: 7569 Baltimore Ave. in College Park
University Park Police Department: 6724 Baltimore Ave. in Hyattsville
Walgreens:
- 9810 Apollo Drive in Largo
- 9530 Crain Highway in Upper Marlboro
- 15990 Annapolis Road in Bowie
- 6498 Landover Road in Hyattsville
- 7008 Marlboro Pike in District Heights
- 9001 Woody Terrace in Clinton

Virginia

City of Alexandria:

Alexandria Fire Station 210: 5255 Eisenhower Ave. in Alexandria
City of Alexandria Police Department: 3600 Wheeler Ave. in Alexandria
First Baptist Church of Alexandria: 2932 King St. in Alexandria
The Neighborhood Pharmacy: 2204 Mt. Vernon Ave. in Alexandria

City of Falls Church:

Falls Church City Hall: 300 Park Ave. in Falls Church

Arlington:

Arlington County Fire Station #5: 1750 S. Hayes St. in Arlington
Arlington County Police Department: 1425 North Courthouse Road in Arlington
DEA Headquarters: 700 Army Navy Drive in Arlington

Fairfax County:

City of Fairfax Police: 3730 Old Lee Highway in Fairfax
Fair Oaks District Police Station: 12300 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway in Fairfax
Franconia District Police Station: 6121 Franconia Road in Franconia
Mason District Police Station: 6501 Columbia Pike in Annandale
Mount Vernon District Police Station: 2511 Parkers Lane in Alexandria
Reston Hospital Center: 1850 Town Center Parkway in Reston
Sully District Police Station: 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly
Vienna Police Department: 301 Center St. S in Vienna
Virginia State Police Division 7 Office: 4977 Alliance Drive in Fairfax

Loudoun County:

Leesburg Police Department: 65 Plaza Street NE in Leesburg
Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office:
- 20272 Savin Hill Drive in Ashburn
- 46620 E Frederick Drive in Sterling
- 25215 Loudoun County Parkway in Chantilly
Purcellville Police Department: 125 E Hirst Road #7A in Purcellville

Prince William County: