Drug Take-Back Day Is April 28: Find Locations In Saint Louis

ST. LOUIS, MO — You know all those old, near-empty prescription bottles that you absolutely want to get out of the way but haven’t in forever?

Nobody’s judging. We understand: You’ve just been smart enough not to thrown them away with your regular garbage and, well, you won’t have that excuse Saturday, April 28.

In St. Louis, you can dispose of unused medication on the 28th at any of more than two dozen locations during the spring Take Back Day. The events sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration are held twice annually to help Americans safely dispose of expired and unused prescriptions.

Not only will you eliminate the risk that you — or some kid — could pop a pill that has already expired, which can be dangerous. Moreover, if you have any lingering opioids left over from when you needed it, you’ll want to get rid of those pills so they don’t fall into the wrong hands.

Last fall, Americans turned in a record-setting 912,305 pounds — or 456 tons — of potentially dangerous drugs, almost 6 tons more than collected at the spring 2017 event. That brings to 4,508 tons the amount of prescription drugs collected by the DEA since the fall of 2010.

Local prescription drug disposal events are:

Millbrook Pharmacy
7010 Pershing Avenue
University City

Center of Clayton
50 Gay Avenue
Clayton

City of Hanley Hills Police Substation
7713 Utica
Hanley Hills

Richmond Heights Police Department Front Lobby
7447 Dale Avenue
Richmond Heights

Maplewood Police Department
7601 Manchester
Maplewood

Northwoods Police Department
4608 Oakridge Boulevard
Saint Louis

Olivette Municipal Building
1140 Dielman Road
Olivette

Central County Police Precinct
1333 Ashby Road
Saint Louis

City of St. John Municipal Building Police Department
8944 St. Charles Rock Road
Saint John

Overland Police Department
2410 Goodale
Overland

St. Louis Metro Police Department South Patrol Division
3157 Sublette Avenue
Saint Louis

St.Louis Metro Police Department Central Patrol Division
919 N. Jefferson
Saint Louis

Ladue Police Department
9345 Clayton Road
Saint Louis

Webster Groves Recreation Complex
33 East Glendale Avenue
Webster Groves

Village of Marlborough City Hall
7826 Wimbledon
Saint Louis

North Patrol Division YMCA
4642 W. Florissant
Saint Louis

Grantwood Village City Hall
One Missionary Ridge
St. Louis

City of Green Park City Hall
11100 Mueller Road #2
Green Park

St. Ann Police Department
10405 St. Charles Rock Road
Saint Ann

City of Jennings County Police Precinct
5445 Jennings Station Road
Jennings

North County Recreational Complex
2577 Redman Road
Saint Louis

Creve Coeur Police Department Front Lobby
300 North New Ballas
Creve Coeur

St. Louis University Department of Public Safety
3545 Lindell Drive
Saint Louis

Des Peres Department of Public Safety
1050 Des Peres Road
Des Peres

Town and Country Police Department
1011 Municipal Center Drive
Town and Country

Florissant Police Department Lobby
1700 North Highway 67
Florissant

Glendale City Auditorium
424 N Sappington Road
Glendale

Kirkwood Police Station
131 West Madison Avenue
Kirkwood

Hazelwood City Hall/Police Complex
415 Elm Grove
Hazelwood

Maryland Heights Police Department
11911 DORSETTE ROAD
MARYLAND HEIGHTS

Bridgeton Police Department
12355 Natural Bridge Road
Bridgeton

Bellefontaine Neighbors Police Department
9641 Bellefontaine Road
Saint Louis

Sunset Hills Police Department
3905 S. Lindbergh
Sunset Hills

Included in the haul are ever-higher amounts of opioids, the DEA said. Though prescribed for pain management, these highly addictive drugs can be stolen and abused by family members and visitors, including children and teens. Opioid use has been declared a public health emergency by President Trump.

Often, the path to addiction to illegal drugs like heroin begins at a doctor’s office.

“The abuse of these prescription drugs has fueled the nation’s opioid epidemic which has led to the highest rate of overdose deaths this country has ever seen,” DEA Acting Administrator Robert W. Patterson said in a statement. “This is a crisis that must be addressed from multiple angles. Educating the public and removing these medications from households across the United State prevents misuse where it often starts.”

In 2016, opioids were involved in 42,249 overdose deaths, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overdose deaths were five times higher in 2016, the latest year for which statistics are available, than they were in 1999.

The majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet, the DEA said.

Other methods of disposal — throwing unused drugs out with the trash or flushing them down the toilet — can cause environmental damage, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

But it’s not just opioids that pose dangers. Expired prescription drugs can be less effective or risky due to changes over time in chemical composition. Some expired medications are at risk of bacterial growth, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Expired antibiotics may not treat infections, leading to more serious illnesses and antibiotic resistance, the DEA said.

The drugs must have been prescribed to a member of your household. Illegal drugs can’t be disposed of during the events, nor can syringes and needles. More information is available here.

Photo by David Smart/Shutterstock