Tennesseans Urged to Participate in National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

NASHVILLE –More than 1,000 people in Tennessee die each year from drug overdoses, according to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and many of those deaths could have been prevented if unused prescriptions were disposed of properly.

People across Tennessee are encouraged to join the fight against prescription drug abuse, by removing unused pills from their homes and safely disposing of unused prescriptions during National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, September 27.

This month’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is the second in 2014, and gives people the opportunity to remove medicines that have expired, are no longer being taken and pose a threat to others if taken by accident or fall into the wrong hands.

“People can bring their unused prescriptions in their original containers, but need to remove any identifying, personal information,” Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner E. Douglas Varney said. “I urge everyone to clean out those medicine cabinets, kitchen drawers and containers and get rid of unused medication. You might just save someone’s life.”

Tennessee’s list of take-back locations continues to grow with more than 100 permanent boxes.

DROP-OFF LOCATIONS ACROSS TENNESSEE

CLICK HERE to find permanent drop-off boxes available in Tennessee year-round.

CLICK HERE for a list of drop-off sites located nationwide during Take-Back Day.

In many instances it’s leftover prescription pain medicine that’s still in people’s homes,” Varney said. “Misuse of pain medicines is the number one drug problem for Tennesseans. So we encourage everyone to remove leftover prescription medications, especially drugs like hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine and methadone which are highly addictive.”