Safely dispose of prescription drugs

Although National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is Saturday, April 27, people don’t have to wait to dispose of unused medications safely.

According to the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is a day aimed at reminding people of the importance of safely disposing of unused and expired medications. Improperly discarded medications have long posed environmental threats. More recently, they are posing an increasing threat for accidental poisonings and overdoses.

In Cloquet, people can drop off medications (but not needles) in a disposal bin in the lobby of the Cloquet police department, 508 Cloquet Ave. all year long. The Carlton County sheriff’s office also has a disposal bin in the jail lobby, available year-round, next to the courthouse. The doors are normally open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday through Friday, but people can get buzzed in by picking up the exterior phone for a drop-off outside regular hours.

Both the jail lobby and the CPD will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 27 in honor of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day as well.

Nationally, the last Take-Back Day brought in more than 900,000 pounds of unused or expired prescription medication, which brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the fall of 2010 to 10,878,950 pounds.