SALT LAKE CITY — Opioid Addiction can begin with pain medication prescribed by your doctor.
So if you have unused, unneeded, or expired medication at your house, you can safely dispose of it this Saturday as part of a national initiative.
The DEA drug take-back event happens twice each year, in October and April.
During the event last fall, Utahans turned in more than 10,000 pounds of unused prescription medications at sites all across the state.
Valerie Jansen said her 20-year addiction to opioids took hold when she found unused pain pills in her mother‘s home.
“I got curious and started digging around, and I found all of it. And I took that and utilized it," she said.
Jansen said she was first prescribed pain medication as a teenager.
But mom was a nurse and easily able to refill prescriptions.
After a while, Jansen said it took more pills to feel normal.
“I didn’t understand how my body could build a dependency, I didn’t understand addiction, I didn’t understand withdrawal. I didn’t know all these symptoms were going to come once I ran out," she said.
Jansen said she finally got treatment and has been in recovery since 2019.
She feels lucky to have survived and said she’s a big proponent of the event.
George Taylor is the Diversion Program Manager for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“Grandma’s medicine cabinet at her house, that shouldn’t be the pharmacy for everybody. If that prescription has been in there for a while, get rid of it," he said. “The key factor for this whole national take back initiative is saving lives. That’s our goal with this.”
Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Joey Incardine said it’s easy and safe.
“It’s completely anonymous, nobody’s asking questions or anything like that.”
Cottonwood Heights Police are big supporters of the take-back initiative.
Officers are often first on the scene of an overdose.
And Sgt. Incardine said they’ve learned over the years that opioid addiction often starts with unused pills at home.
“Whether it be the opiates or muscle relaxers, whatever it may be and just get those out of the house, keep them from circulating onto the streets somehow. Keep children safe from getting into their parents’ cabinets.”
Anyone interested can find their website here and enter their zip code to find more than 100 disposal sites near you.
