Saturday is Prescription Drug Take Back Day

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, April 24, and local organizations like Excelsior Springs Safe and the Clay County Public Health Center are encouraging individuals to take advantage of the program by safely disposing of old medications. Prescription and over-the-counter medications that are unused or expired will be accepted at drop-off locations.

Drug Take Back Days aim to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription and non-prescription drugs. It also provides an opportunity for citizens to keep their unused and expired medications off community streets, prevent drug addiction in our communities, and prevents overdose deaths. Medicine take back options are the best way to safely dispose of unused or expired prescription and nonprescription medicines.

Before disposing of prescription medicines, be sure to remove all personal information on pill bottle labels and medicine packaging. All the medicines dropped off at the take back locations will be destroyed. Remember never to throw away old medications in the trash or flush down sinks or toilets.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Take Back Initiative Collections Database, the following locations are collection locations for this Saturday’s event:

 Kearney Police Department, 725 W. 92 Hwy, Kearney

 Liberty Police Department, 101 E. Kansas St, Liberty

 Excelsior Springs Police Department, 301 S. Main St, Excelsior Springs

ExcelsiorSpringsSafe.com states that in 2018 alone, close to 15,000 people overdosed on prescription opioids in the United States. State-wide data shows that painkillers are the most commonly misused medications by youth, but sleeping medications, sedatives, and stimulants are also misused. All of these medications can be very dangerous when misused.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story