National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Comes To Fredericksburg

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — If you have expired or unused prescription drugs taking up space in your medicine cabinet, Fredericksburg residents will have an opportunity to safely get rid of them Saturday.

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 get misused or abused.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration will host the 22nd 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.

The Fredericksburg Police Department will collect unused prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the following locations:

• Wegmans, 2281 Carl D Silver Parkway
• Tompkins Martin Medical Plaza, 1101 Sam Perry Blvd
  • Note: This location will accept sharps.
• University of Mary Washington Bell Tower, 1301 College Avenue

Other drop-off locations are available nearby from other agencies:

• Stafford Hospital, 101 Hospital Center Boulevard, Stafford
  • Note: This location will accept sharps.
• Chancellor's Village, 12100 Chancellor's Village Lane, Fredericksburg
• Mary Washington Healthcare Emergency and Outpatient Center, 10401 Spotsylvania Avenue, Fredericksburg
  • Note: This location will accept sharps.
• Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, 4600 Spotsylvania Parkway, Fredericksburg
  • Note: This location will accept sharps.
• CVS Courtland COmmons, 9767 Courthouse Road, Spotsylvania

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.