By Chapel Taylor-Olsen and Emma Campbell
When we have a prescription that we didn’t finish, an expired over-the-counter medication or other unneeded medicines in our home, many of us don’t know what to do with them. It can be tempting to keep those medications to have on hand in case we, or a loved one, need them later. However, this well-intentioned inclination can easily lead to accidental poisoning, overdose and misuse.
About 50,000 children under the age of five end up in the emergency room each year due to accidental medication overdoses (CDC, 2020). Over 90% of these are due to kids getting into medications while the adult is out of sight (CDC, 2020).
In addition, most young people with opioid use disorder first experimented with opioids by taking a prescription medication from a loved one and, on average, started this at the age of 12 (Lankenau, 2012).
It’s clear that we need to dispose of these unneeded medications. But, how do we get rid of them?
Many people are aware of the problems with throwing medications away, particularly opioids and other habit-forming medications that are highly sought after. People sometimes turn to flushing unwanted medications, but for some medications, even small doses can wreak havoc on our environment, wildlife and can even end up back in our drinking water (Boxall, 2004).
The best way to dispose of all unneeded medications is to bring them to a take-back location. Take-back locations provide a safe, easy and anonymous way to dispose of your medications. Only certified individuals will be allowed to handle your medicines and the substances will be disposed of following government guidelines.
The Carbon & Emery Opioid & Substance Use Coalition, in collaboration with the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, Emery County Sheriff’s Office, USU Extension & HEART, Southeast Utah Health Department, StepOne Service, USARA and others, are providing a local DEA National Take-Back Day on April 24, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Event Information
- April 24, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Carbon: Sheriff’s Office, 240 W Main St., Price UT – Drive through
- Emery: Stewart’s Market, 590 E Main St., Castle Dale UT – Drive through
- Drive up to the Carbon or Emery location on Take-Back Day and hand the prescription/over-the-counter medication that you want to dispose of to a law enforcement representative. Volunteers will wear masks and gloves, and you don’t even need to leave your car. They will take care of the rest. It’s as easy as that!
- Grab a swag bag with helpful information and other materials.
Information on local drop boxes
There are drop box locations available in our communities year-round for any time we have medications to dispose of. Here are the locations available in Carbon and Emery Counties:
Carbon:
Carbon County Sheriff’s Office
240 West Main St.
Price, UT 84501
Carbon Medical Service Association – Helper Clinic
125 South Main St.
Helper, UT 84526
Carbon Medical Service
331 HWY 123
Sunnyside, UT 84539
Castleview Hospital
300 North Hospital Dr.
Price, UT 84501
Castleview Hospital Urgent Care
317 East 100 North
Price, UT 84501
East Carbon Police Department
101 West Geneva Dr.
East Carbon, UT 84520
Helper Police Department
97 South Main St.
Helper, UT 84526
Price City Police Department
910 North 7th East St.
Price, UT 84501
Emery:
Boyd’s Family Pharmacy
590 East Main St.
Castle Dale, UT 84513
Emery Medical Center
90 West Main St.
Castle Dale, UT 84513
Green River Medical Center
585 Main St.
Green River, UT 84525
Dispose of your unneeded medications promptly and safely. See you at the Carbon & Emery Take-Back Day on April 24, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Learn more/resources:
- Substance Use and Recovery Resource Book for Carbon and Emery Counties
https://extension.usu.edu/heart/resource-books - FDA – Safe Disposal of Medicines
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/ensuring-safe-use-medicine/safe-disposal-medicines - FDA – Safe Disposal of Needles and other Sharps
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safely-using-sharps-needles-and-syringes-home-work-and-travel/best-way-get-rid-used-needles-and-other-sharps - Cure the Conversation
https://www.curetheconversation.org/
References
Boxall, A. (2004). The environmental side effects of medication. EMBO Reports 5, 1110-1116. Retrieved from https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.1038/sj.embor.7400307
Centers for Disease Control (CDC). (2020). PROTECT Initiative: Advancing children’s medication safety. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/medicationsafety/protect/protect_initiative.html
Lankenau, S. E., Teti, M., Silva, K., Bloom, J. J., Harocopos, A., & Treese, M. (2012) Initiation into prescription opioid misuse among young injection drug users. International Journal of Drug Policy, 23(1), 37–44. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2011.05.014.
