Get Rid of Dated Prescription Drugs this Saturday

Scarsdale Task Force on Drugs and Alcohol encourages your participation in the National Take-Back Initiative this Saturday, September 29th. How many of us have prescription drugs in our medicine cabinets that are expired or simply no longer needed? Prescription drugs are an important safety hazard for young children, and household availability of prescription medication, especially narcotics and stimulants, contributes to high levels of adolescent prescription drugs abuse. According to 2011 data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health, non-medical use of prescription drugs is second only to marijuana as the most common category of illicit drug use among youth and young adults ages 12-25. It is also estimated that more than 1/3 of those who begin misusing prescription drugs are under age 18 when they start.

To help combat the abuse of prescription medication, the Scarsdale Task Force on Drugs and Alcohol encourages all households to participate in the National Take-Back Initiative on September 29, 2012. The initiative, spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration in partnership with state and local organizations and law enforcement agencies, urges people to dispose of unwanted or unused prescription drugs in a safe manner.

This Saturday from 10- 2am, you can visit one of the several disposal sites in our neighboring communities including Larchmont, Bronxville, and Ardsley. At the last Take-Back event on April 28th, the Drug Enforcement Administration reported collection of 552,161 pounds (276 tons) of unwanted or expired medications that were safely disposed of at the 5,659 take-back sites throughout the country. They are hoping to surpass these efforts on Saturday.

Please note that disposal of medication through a take-back program is the safest means of disposal from a health and environmental standpoint although the FDA has published disposal guidelines in the event a take-back program is not available.

For more information and addresses for participating sites, visit the National Takeback Initiative website .