Local agencies participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

Staff and wire report

With the 21st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day set for Saturday, many agencies in the area are participating in the event.

A release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana said he biannual event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at sites across Montana. The event is an effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

Havre Undersheriff Stan Martin, who will oversee the event at the sheriff’s office, gave some guidelines for dropoff thereand added that containers will be available for people to drop off e-cigarettes and vaping products.

He said the people dropping items off will be and will remain completely anonymous, with no questions asked or requests for identification. The people dropping medication off will retain possession the entire time, and law enforcement won’t be handling the items or taking any logs or inventory.

He said participants can dispose of the medication in its original container or put it in a disposable box, but they should remove any information identifying the owner of prescriptions or any other identifying information.

He said all solid and liquid pharmaceuticals in containers can be accepted, but liquids such as cough syrup should be in its original container and the container should be tightly sealed to prevent leakage.

He said illegal listed substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine cannot be dropped off, and neither can intravenous solutions, injectables and syringes, which create hazards due to blood-borne pathogens.

Other disposal areas are available, including the Havre Police Department and drop-offs such as the MedSafe Medication Disposal System which is permanently installed on the second floor of Northern Montana Hospital.

The U.S. attorney’s office release said the initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in homes are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses from these drugs.

According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives in 2019. The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

“The DEA’s Take Back Day is a great opportunity to clear out unneeded and expired prescriptions. Prescription drugs can end up in the wrong hands, fueling an epidemic of opioid deaths and overdoses. I encourage Montanans to help protect their families, friends and community by participating in the DEA Take Back event to safely dispose of unused prescription medications,” Acting U.S. Attorney Leif Johnson said.

“We now face a national epidemic reaching every corner of America.  Prescription medications often end up in the wrong hands, fueling an epidemic that kills more Americans than car accidents,” said DEA Montana Resident Agent in Charge Stacy Zinn-Brittain. “The power to make a difference starts at home, beginning with returning the unused, unwanted or expired medications that each American keeps in their homes.”

More than 40 sheriff’s offices, police departments and federal agencies across Montana are participating in Take Back Day. Information about collection sites and more information about event is available here: https://takebackday.dea.gov/ .

During the last Take Back Day held on April 24, 2021, 4,425 law enforcement participants at 5,060 collection sites brought in a total weight of 839,543 pounds, or 420 tons, of drugs. This brings the total weight collected to 14.52 million pounds, or more than 7,262 tons, of prescription drugs collected in the history of the program. Collection results may include materials other than prescription drugs.

During the April 24, 2021 event, Montanans turned in 1,380 pounds of prescription drugs at 20 collection sites.

In addition to DEA’s National Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 23, prescription drugs can be disposed of any day throughout the year at any of the 11,000 authorized collectors. For more information on collection sites, people can visit https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Oct. 23 Take Back Day event, people can go to http://www.DEATakeBack.com .