As we continue working to stay safe amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still a number of ways we can protect our family members from the ongoing opioid epidemic. On October 24, RALI Maine and our partners will participate in the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day to practice prevention efforts and stop addiction before it starts.
Many people who become addicted to opioids get their first doses from the medicine cabinets of friends and family members. Safely storing and safely disposing of medications can help end the deadly cycle of addiction.
This Take Back Day serves as an important reminder – not only to take this time to clean out your medicine cabinets, but to learn how you can safely return unused prescriptions to secure locations in your community, or safely dispose of unwanted medications at home.
You have several options to participate:
As we continue to practice social distancing, below is information on locations to safely rid your medicine cabinet of unwanted, expired, or unused prescriptions this Take Back Day, and learn more about other at home disposal options.
Find a drug take back center in your community where you can dispose of medications any time.
Check out the RALI Maine site for tips on safely storing medications, as well as how to use household materials like coffee grounds or cat litter to safely dispose of unused medications.
RALI Maine also works with community organizations to provide free drug deactivation and disposal pouches. If you are with a nonprofit organization who may be interested in receiving these pouches to distribute, please contact info@rali-me.org.
Thank you for taking simple steps to make a big difference.