Drop off old prescriptions this weekend

Outdated prescriptions will be collected across the country Saturday during the semiannual Take Back Initiative. It’s an opportunity that could save a life.

The event gives people with prescriptions they no longer need or use an opportunity to dispose of them properly and keep them out of the hands of those who would abuse them, said Special Agent John Hamrick of the Philadelphia division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“One of the problems with a lot of these prescription medicines is that they fall into someone else’s hands whether inadvertently, accidentally or by theft,” he said. “Unfortunately with the pill abuse situation we have across the nation, we want to get rid of the pills in people’s medicine cabinets no longer being used.”

The twice-a-year program has been very successful in this region, Hamrick said.

“In Pennsylvania, last October when we did this, we collected over 38,000 pounds of unused prescription pills,” he said. “In Delaware, over 5,000, which is a huge number and shows the success of this program.”

To find the pill drop off closest to you,  go to DEA.gov.