On Saturday, October 29, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will partner with local law enforcement agencies to host National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. This one-day event provides a convenient and safe way to dispose of unwanted or expired prescription drugs.
Why it’s important
Drug overdose and opioid addiction is a growing problem in the U.S.
According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), nearly 92,000 people lost their lives to a drug overdose in 2020. This was a 32-percent increase from only the year before. Also, of these cases, close to 75 percent involved a prescription drug or illicit opioid1.
However, taking time to properly dispose of unwanted, unused and expired prescription medications helps to prevent medication misuse and opioid addiction. By participating in the DEA’s Take Back Day, you can play a role in making communities safer and healthier.
To date, the program has successfully collected and destroyed nearly 16 million pounds of medication.
How to participate
Wondering how you can take part? To find a collection site in your area, just visit dea.gov/takebackday. You can easily search by city or ZIP code to find the nearest location.
Then, simply turn in your unneeded medications on October 29. If you haven’t cleaned out your medicine cabinet lately, it’s a great chance to do so.
Additional support with Meritain Pharmacy Solutions (MPS)
Meritain Health® and MPS are committed to keeping our customers and members healthy. You can get additional support for high-cost medications and lower member costs by adding MPS and the CARE Program to your pharmacy benefits.
Contact your Meritain Health representative for more information.
Sources:
1 https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/featured-topics/abuse-prevention-awareness.html
https://www.dea.gov/takebackday
