EASTON, MARYLAND — Saturday, Oct. 24, is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, when the Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement collect unused prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The DEA says the day gives people a safe, convenient way to get rid of old prescriptions and teaches the public about how medicines can be misused. Its online locator lists collection sites by ZIP code or city.
Collection sites take tablets, capsules, patches and other forms of prescription medication, and liquid medicine if it is securely sealed in its original container, according to the DEA. Syringes, sharps and illicit drugs are not collected.
The DEA expects more than 4,400 collection sites nationwide Saturday. At the last national collection, in April, 4,417 sites took in 642,410 pounds of medication, and the program has collected more than 21 million pounds since it began in 2010, according to the agency.
Most people who misuse prescription drugs get them from family, friends and acquaintances, according to the DEA's Get Smart About Drugs site. The DEA, citing the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, says prescription opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and morphine are among the most frequently misused prescription pain medications.
Talbot residents do not have to wait for the national day. Four police lobbies in the county take medications year-round, according to Talbot Goes Purple, the Sheriff's Office's substance-use prevention initiative:
- Talbot County Sheriff's Office, 28640 Mary's Court, Suite 100, Easton — 24 hours a day
- Maryland State Police Barrack I, 7053 Ocean Gateway, Easton — 24 hours a day
- St. Michaels Police Department, 100 S. Fremont St., St. Michaels — 24 hours a day
- Oxford Police Department, 101 Market St., Oxford — weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except holidays
Remove the labels and bring the medications to the closest site. No questions are asked.
The same Talbot Goes Purple page lists help for substance use. The Talbot County Health Department's addictions line is 410-819-5602. The county's safe station, at Grace Street, 8262 Ocean Gateway, Suite 1, in Easton, is open to anyone who wants help for substance use; its 24-hour peer line is 443-439-1820. For free naloxone (Narcan) training, the page says to call the local health department.
Source: DEA Diversion Control Division
Also: Talbot Goes Purple, Town of St. Michaels, Drug Enforcement Administration, Drug Enforcement Administration (2), DEA Get Smart About Drugs
Drawn from public records; drafted with AI and edited by Peter Gorman before publication.
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