Saturday is the semiannual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, when people are encouraged to bring their unwanted medications to "take back" locations set up by local law enforcement agencies.
According to Kevin Black, who is in charge of Drug Take Back Day in Vermont for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, there will be more than 60 collection sites set up around the state on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Specific locations can be found on the DEA website.
Black said the program was started several years ago in response to the opioid crisis.
"We really started seeing an increase around 2009-2010 of people that were using prescription opioids – illegally diverted prescription opioids," Black said. "And that was really the onramp for addiction for so many people throughout the United States."
Black said nearly 6,000 pounds of all sorts of unwanted medications were collected in Vermont during the last Drug Take Back Day, including prescription opioids.
"The program is really about getting ahead of our opioid crisis," Black said.
Find more of VPR and NPR's opioid coverage here.
Drugs that are flushed down the toilet or thrown in the trash can contaminate water supplies, Black said. He added that the drugs collected by law enforcement are safely incinerated.
Organizers are hoping for strong participation Saturday, but there are other safe disposal options beyond this one-day effort. Lamoille County Sheriff Roger Marcoux said most local law enforcement agencies now have kiosks set up to receive unwanted mediations throughout the year.
"So people can stop in most of the locations 24-hours a day, whatever suits them and works into their schedule just to drop it off," Marcoux said. "There’s no names — you know, no names asked, no personal information. ... We’re just interested in getting it off the streets and out of your bathrooms."
