Drug Take-Back Day In Charlotte: How Ditch Old Prescriptions

CHARLOTTE, NC — Mecklenburg County residents who want to safely dispose of old or near-empty bottles of prescription medication will soon have an opportunity to do just that. Several Prescription Pill Take-Back events are scheduled around the Charlotte metro area Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The semi-annual events are opportunities for residents to dispose of unused medication, no questions asked. The events sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration are held twice annually to help Americans safely dispose of expired and unused prescriptions.

Here is a list of National Take Back Initiative collection sites in our area on April 27, 2019:

• Harris Teeter — Morrocroft, 6701 Morrison Blvd., Charlotte
• Harris Teeter — Steelecroft, 13000 S. Tryon St., Charlotte
• Mint Hill Festival Plaza at the Harris Teeter, 7036 Brighton Park Dr., Charlotte
• Davis Lake Shops — Harris Teeter, 8445 Davis Lake Pkwy, Charlotte
• Carolina Place Mall - Food Court, 11025 Carolina Place Pkwy, Pineville
• Harris Teeter - University City, 8600 University City Blvd., Charlotte
• Harris Teeter - Stonecrest, 7852 Rea Road, Charlotte
• Harris Teeter Mountain Island, 3540 Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road, Charlotte
• Northcross Shopping Center - Harris Teeter, 9759 Sam Furr Road, Huntersville

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 October, 81 law enforcement agencies in North Carolina participated in take-back events, collecting about 30,000 pounds of drugs from around the state, according to 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 drugs must have been prescribed to a member of your household. Illegal drugs can't be disposed of during the events, nor can syringes and needles. More information is available here.

Patch Editor Beth Dalbey contributed