Residents are encouraged to clean out their medicine cabinet this weekend and properly dispose of unwanted, unused or outdated prescription drugs at Lexington’s annual fall Med Toss event. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, October 22, medication can be dropped off at Kentucky American Water’s main office located at 2300 Richmond Road.
The event is part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
Accepted items include:
- Prescription and over-the-counter pills
- Vitamins
- Medicated ointments and lotions
- Pet medication
Items that cannot be accepted include: liquids, aerosol cans, bio waste and needles.
Med Toss is a free, anonymous service with no questions asked.
Last April, Americans turned in 447 tons (over 893,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at thousands of drop-off sites across the country. In Lexington, residents turned in nearly 2,000 pounds of medication during the 2016 spring Med Toss.
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 U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.
In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—pose potential environmental and health hazards.
Med Toss is made possible by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lexington Police Department, the Office of the Fayette County Sheriff, Kentucky American Water, Drug Free Lex, and the University of Kentucky College of Nursing.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 22 Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Diversion website.
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