National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday In DC

WASHINGTON, DC — If you have expired or unused prescription drugs taking up space in your medicine cabinet, District residents will have an opportunity to safely get rid of them later this month.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Saturday. The purpose of the twice-annual event is to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs so they don’t end up in the wrong hands.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration will host the 22st event in cooperation with law enforcement agencies. During the April 2021 event, agencies collected nearly 840,000 pounds of unused prescription drugs.

The service is free and anonymous. All pills will be accepted, but liquids, needles, and sharps won’t be accepted during the event.

Metropolitan Police Department is among participating agencies. Police will collect unused prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the following locations:

• First District Station, 101 M St., Southwest, Washington, DC 20024
• First District Substation, 500 East St., Southeast, Washington DC 20003
• Second District Station, 3320 Idaho Ave., Northwest, Washington, DC 20016
• Third District Station, 1620 V St., Northwest, Washington, DC 20009
• Fourth District Station, 6001 Georgia Ave., Northwest, Washington, DC 20011
• Fourth District Substation, 750 Park Road, Northwest, Washington, DC 20010
• Fifth District Station, 1805 Bladensburg Road, Northeast, Washington, DC 20002
• Sixth District Station, 5002 Hayes St., N.E., Washington, DC 20019
• Sixth District Substation, 2701 Pennsylvania Ave., Southeast, Washington, DC 20020
• Seventh District Station, 2455 Alabama Ave., Southeast, Washington, DC 20020

The following locations will also be collecting old prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Saturday:

• American University, Don Meyer Technology and Innovation Building, 3501 Nebraska Ave., Northwest, Washington, DC 20016
• Howard University-College of Pharmacy, 2300 4th St., Northwest, Washington, DC 20059
• University of the District of Columbia, Ward 8, 3100 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Southeast, Washington, DC 20032

If you can’t make it to any of those locations, here’s where to find a year-round drug take-back site.

Each year, millions of people misuse prescription pain relievers, stimulants, tranquilizers and sedatives.

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 that year.

The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from a home medicine cabinet.

More than 96,700 people died from opioid-involved overdoses during the 12-month period ending in March 2021, according to provisional estimates from the National Center for Health Statistics.

The Environmental Protection Agency offers guidance on items not accepted during take-back events, including the disposal of sharps and other medical waste. The Food and Drug Administration offers tips on getting rid of liquid medicines that are expired or no longer needed.

Given the ongoing pandemic, both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency also have tips on how to safely dispose of drugs without leaving home