MTSU Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

The biannual event, sponsored by Campus Pharmacy and University Police, takes place from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, at a special drive-up location near the Campus Pharmacy drive-thru outside the Health, Wellness and Recreation Center, 1848 Blue Raider Drive.

Expired, unused and unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medicines will be accepted.

Event organizers ask participants to leave medicines in their original packaging. For prescription medications, black out any personally identifying label information.

Lisa Schrader, Health Promotion director, said they are unable to accept sharps (needles) at this event.

This event is part of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s overall efforts to remove excess drugs from communities where they could be abused or misused, diverted into the wrong hands or disposed of in environmentally unsafe ways, Schrader said.

The event, part of a national Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, aims to provide a safe, secure and environmentally responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse and trafficking of medications.

“Non-medical use of controlled substance medications is at an all-time high,” Schrader said, adding that a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration study revealed more than 54% of people who abuse prescription pain relievers obtained them through friends or relatives — a statistic that includes raiding the family medicine cabinet.

For more information, call 615-494-8704 or email Schrader at [email protected].