Locations:
Madisonville: Wil-Sav Drugs
Sweetwater: Little Drugs
Tellico Plains: Tellico Drugs Family Wellness Center
Vonore: Kahite Clubhouse
On Saturday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the MCHC, in partnership with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement, will provide the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
To keep everyone safe, collection sites will follow local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations. You can drive up, remain in your vehicle, and someone will collect your medication and put it in the bin.
This April’s event is DEA’s 20th nationwide event since its inception 10 years ago.
At its last Take Back Day in October, DEA collected a record-high amount of expired, unwanted, and unused prescription medications, with the public turning in close to 500 tons of unwanted drugs. Monroe County turned in 559.8 lbs. Over the 10-year span of Take Back Day, DEA has brought in more than 6,800 tons of prescription drugs. With studies indicating a majority of abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets, clearing out unused medicine is essential.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
