More than 500 pounds of unused, unwanted or expired prescription drugs were collected on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day — and that's from only two Utah police departments reporting their numbers so far.
More than 20 drop-off locations participated in Saturday's event, which gave people a chance to safely dispose of old or extra medication. Its ultimate goal was to help prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths.
The leftover prescription drugs are sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which will have them safely incinerated.
In a tweet, Layton Police said they collected 462 pounds.
That’s 462 pounds of unwanted medications we collected between our event today and our lobby drop box! We’ve turned it all over to the DEA, who will have it incinerated. Our lobby dropbox is always open to take that unused medication you don’t want falling into the wrong hands. pic.twitter.com/lvTwy41IK5
— Layton Police (@laytonpolice) April 24, 2021
The Magna precinct of Unified Police reported about 40 pounds collected.
Both agencies added that the public can drop off unwanted meds for disposal year-round at their stations — to prevent it from "falling into the wrong hands," Layton PD said.
On its website, the DEA also offers a search feature to locate "Controlled Substance Public Disposal Locations." The list of "authorized collectors" is made up largely of local pharmacies or health care providers.
Click here to find your nearest location.
