National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is an annual event organized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This year’s event will happen on Saturday, Oct. 25.
“It allows for community members to anonymously drop off any prescription pharmaceutical products with no fear, whether it's unwanted or expired, to prevent drug misuse, environmental harms, accidental harms and theft,” said Ali Anderson of the Health Equity Council in Albuquerque.
The reasons for National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day are many. Medications are a pollutant in wastewater systems and landfills. And the New Mexico Dept. of Health says that theft of prescriptions is a major contributor to prescription drug abuse.
New Mexico had the sixth highest rate of overdose deaths in the country in 2023 and prescription drugs account for a quarter of those, also according to the New Mexico Department of Health.
Saturday’s event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. across New Mexico, with dozens of collection sites around the state. One of the Albuquerque locations is Sandia Pharmacy, located at 201 San Pedro Dr. SE Suite C, where Health Equity Council staff will be assisting.
The take-back location nearest to you, along with more details, can be found at the DEA website.
