September 15, 2010
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is hosting a nationwide drug take-back event on Saturday, Sept. 25. Patients will be able to drop off unwanted and expired drugs at sites around the state to be disposed of properly. The event is being organized to provide a safe and environmentally friendly disposal option for these drugs. The service is free and anonymous, and can accept narcotics and other controlled substances (which is a new and much needed service).
We encourage you to let your patients know about this event. A list of drop off sites is available at:
Prescription Medications (Except Narcotics and Controlled Substances)
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/medtakeback/index.htm
Narcotics and Other Controlled Substances
http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/takeback
The DEA will be sponsoring drug take back events regularly (approximately every six months), until legislation can be passed to provide a permanent option for consumer disposal of unwanted drugs.
Please note that this event is not intended for disposal of drugs from dental or medical offices, and instead only for patient and consumer medication disposal. Your dental office should be connected with a reverse pharmaceutical distributor that will dispose of unwanted or expired drugs and provide your office with all necessary documentation for compliance.
