13.5: What does this number mean to Arizona? For our kids, it’s the average age of first use of a prescription drug that was not prescribed to them (2012 ACJC Arizona Youth Survey Results).
By participating in the DEA’s fall Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, October 26, we can impact the medicine abuse epidemic as a community and stop allowing medicine cabinets, kitchen drawers or other medicine storage areas to be easy prescription and over-the-counter medicine abuse access points.
4 Reasons to Add this Event to Your Calendar:
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Clear Up clutter
Whether the medicine is leftover from a surgery, or outdated after a cold last winter, it’s just one more unnecessary thing around your house. Make it a win-win for fall housecleaning and community safety by safely disposing of it!
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Speaking of Safe Disposal…
It can be hard to know what to do with unused medicine. And it can be even more challenging to know how to dispose of it safely, despite the best intentions. By taking advantage of this take-back event, you don’t have to worry about the medicine in your trash still winding up in the wrong hands. (For more information about what to do between take-back events, don’t miss the tips from our September e-news!)
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Easy & Convenient
Many of us are already out and about on Saturdays running errands or participating in family events. Collect your unused and expired medicine on Friday night. Then, add a reminder on your Smartphone calendar for Saturday and it will be one easy thing to cross off.
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Contribute to Community Safety
Whether you have kids, live alone or have roommates, the bottom line is anytime you have medications easily accessible, someone else could take advantage of that. For many of us, this thought isn’t even on mind. Think about what a visitor to your home could help themselves to in your bathroom, on your kitchen counter or in your purse. Take-Back Day helps eliminate those options.
To Participate in Prescription Drug Take-Back Day:
- Find your closest location by inputting your zip code into the location finder.
- Gather your medicine.
- Protect your identity by blacking out your name on the labels (if applicable).
- Place the containers in a sealable snack bag.
- Drop your medicine off at your preferred location from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 26.
