Northwest Iowa — This Saturday, October 26th, is the second of two annual National Drug Take Back Days. And there are several places in northwest Iowa where you can take your unwanted medications.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach experts tell us that most people who misuse prescription drugs get them from family, friends, and acquaintances.
Sue Boettcher, Human Sciences Program Coordinator with ISU Extension and Outreach says that you can make a difference by keeping track of the medicine you have, by rethinking where and how you keep your medications in your home, and by safely disposing of any unused medication.
Extension experts also remind you not to share medications. They say keep track of your legally-prescribed controlled substances –- that is, count your pills so you always know how much you should have and so you know when to take action if any go missing. They tell us that with controlled substances, sharing is NOT caring. You could be putting your loved ones at risk, and unintentionally contribute to drug misuse, drug addiction, or a fatal drug overdose.
The experts also say you should limit access to medication. Everyone knows to keep medicine “out of the reach of children” but once your children become teens, there’s a good chance they can “reach” all medicines in your home and they know exactly where you keep what. They tell us that many people keep their medicine in easy to reach, easy to access cupboards, medicine cabinets, drawers, etc., so they advise you to put your medicine somewhere that only you can easily find and access. Lock it up if you can. According to Extension experts, this will keep your medicine from unintentionally ending up in the wrong hands and just may save someone’s life.
There are several locations in northwest Iowa where you can take back your unwanted drugs to get them away from anyone who might misuse them. The actual hours for the Drug Takeback Day on Saturday are from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., but several of the locations where you can get rid of your unwanted drugs are open year-round, some of them 24/7, and others during the business’s hours. Many law enforcement offices, pharmacies, and medical clinics have drop off boxes. There is a collection site locator at takebackday.dea.gov, but not all locations are listed. We at KIWA advise you to check the locator, but if a local site is not found, try calling one of the types of locations listed near you to see if they have a drop-off site.
