Drug Take-Back Day Is April 28 In Lake County And Nationwide

You know all those old, near-empty prescription bottles that you absolutely want to get out of the way but haven’t in forever? Nobody’s judging. We understand: You’ve just been smart enough not to thrown them away with your regular garbage and, well, you won’t have that excuse Saturday, April 28.

In Lake County, you can dispose of unused medication on the 28th at various locations during the spring Take Back Day. Sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the events are held twice annually to help Americans safely dispose of expired and unused prescriptions.

Not only will you eliminate the risk that you — or some kid — could pop a pill that has already expired, which can be dangerous. Moreover, if you have any lingering opioids left over from when you needed it, you’ll want to get rid of those pills so they don’t fall into the wrong hands.

Last fall, Americans turned in a record-setting 912,305 pounds — or 456 tons — of potentially dangerous drugs, almost 6 tons more than collected at the spring 2017 event. That brings to 4,508 tons the amount of prescription drugs collected by the DEA since the fall of 2010.

Lake County law enforcement collected more than 13,000 pounds of unwanted, unused and expired prescription and over-the-counter medications last year, an increase of 21 percent over the prior year, according to the sheriff's office.

In addition to all the drop off locations listed below, medical students from Rosalind Franklin University will be on hand to provide free blood pressure screenings at three prescription drug disposal events:

• Beach Park Village Hall, 11270 W. Wadsworth Road, Beach Park
• Long Grove Fire Protection District, 1165 Old McHenry Road, Long Grove
• St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 27551 Volo Village Road, Volo

More events may be added through the week, so be sure to check here to find a convenient location from the DEA.

Included in the haul are ever-higher amounts of opioids, the DEA said. Though prescribed for pain management, these highly addictive drugs can be stolen and abused by family members and visitors, including children and teens. Opioid use has been declared a public health emergency by President Trump.

Often, the path to addiction to illegal drugs like heroin begins at a doctor’s office.

“The abuse of these prescription drugs has fueled the nation’s opioid epidemic which has led to the highest rate of overdose deaths this country has ever seen,” DEA Acting Administrator Robert W. Patterson said in a statement. “This is a crisis that must be addressed from multiple angles. Educating the public and removing these medications from households across the United State prevents misuse where it often starts.”

In 2016, opioids were involved in 42,249 overdose deaths, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overdose deaths were five times higher in 2016, the latest year for which statistics are available, than they were in 1999.

The majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet, the DEA said.

Other methods of disposal — throwing unused drugs out with the trash or flushing them down the toilet — can cause environmental damage, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

But it’s not just opioids that pose dangers. Expired prescription drugs can be less effective or risky due to changes over time in chemical composition. Some expired medications are at risk of bacterial growth, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Expired antibiotics may not treat infections, leading to more serious illnesses and antibiotic resistance, the DEA said.

The majority of Lake County's drug disposal boxes have been donated to local police departments by the Save a Star Drug Awareness Foundation. Founded by Highland Park parents who lost their son to opioid addiction in 2007, the nonprofit group provides free disposal boxes across the country.

Locations of prescription drug drop-off boxes:

Antioch PD – 433 Orchard St Antioch, IL 60002
Barrington PD– 400 N Northwest Hwy, Barrington, IL 60010
Buffalo Grove PD — 46 Raupp Blvd, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
Deerfield PD – 850 Waukegan Rd. Deerfield 60015
Fox Lake PD – 301 S Route 59 Fox Lake 60020
Grayslake/Hainesville PD – 10 Seymour, Grayslake, IL 60030
Hawthorn Woods PD – 2 Lagoon Dr. Hawthorn Woods 60047
Highland Park PD – 1677 Old Deerfield Rd. Highland Park 60035
Kildeer PD — 21911 Quentin Road, Kildeer, IL 60047
Island Lake PD – 3720 Greenleaf Ave, Island Lake, IL 60042
Lakemoor PD – 27901 Concrete Drive, Lakemoor, IL 60041
Lake Bluff PD – 45 Center Dr. Lake Bluff 60044
Lake County Sheriff’s Department– 25 S Utica St, Waukegan, IL 60085
Lake Forest PD – 255 W. Deerpath Rd. Lake Forest 60045
Lake Zurich PD – 200 Mohawk Trail Lake Zurich 60047
Libertyville PD – 200 E Cook Ave Libertyville, IL 60048
Lincolnshire– 1 Olde Half Day Rd, Lincolnshire, IL 60069
Lindenhurst– 2300 E Grand Ave, Lindenhurst, IL 60046
Mundelein PD – 221 N Lake St. Mundelein 60060
North Chicago PD– 1850 Lewis Ave, North Chicago, IL 60064
Round Lake PD – 741 W. Townline Road Round Lake, IL 60073
Round Lake Beach PD – 1947 Municipal Way, Round Lake Beach 60073
Round Lake Park Police 215 E Main St, Round Lake Park, IL 60073
Vernon Hills PD – 740 Lakeview Parkway, Vernon Hills, Illinois 60061
Wauconda PD– 101 N. Main Street, Wauconda, IL 60084
Waukegan PD – 100 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. Waukegan, IL 60085
Winthrop Harbor PD – 830 Sheridan Rd, Winthrop Harbor, IL 60096
Zion PD – 2101 Salem Blvd. Zion 60099

Items acceptable for deposit in the collection box include:

• Prescription medications, including controlled substances
• All over-the counter medications
• Medication samples
• Pet medications
• Vitamins and supplements
• Medicated ointments, lotions, creams and oils
• Liquid medication in leak-proof containers
• Homeopathic remedies

Items not acceptable for deposit in the collection box are:

• Needles/sharps
• Syringes with needles
• Thermometers
• IV bags
• Bloody or infectious waste
• Personal care products
• Empty containers
• Hydrogen Peroxide

via Drug Free Lake County