Southern Colorado police departments taking back unused prescription medication to prevent misuse

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On April 26, law enforcement groups across southern Colorado are teaming up with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to host "Drug Take Back Day," an effort aimed at keeping unused medications out of the wrong hands and preventing prescription drug misuse.

The National Drug Take Back is held twice a year, in April and October. It was started by the DEA in 2010 to remove unneeded medications from homes as a measure of preventing misuse and addiction from ever beginning. The DEA says studies show that a majority of misused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets.

According to the DEA, many people don’t know the proper way to dispose of unused medications and often resort to flushing them or tossing them in the trash—methods that can pose serious health and environmental risks.

To combat this, law enforcement across the country – including groups here in southern Colorado – are operating drop-off locations on Saturday, April 26.

At these drop-off sites, you can safely dispose of almost all expired or unneeded prescription or over-the-counter medications, including opioids and other controlled substances, ointments and lotions, pet medications, prescription patches and vitamins.

Officers ask that you put all pills into a sealed zip-lock bag before dropping them off, and recycle any empty pill containers after removing or scratching out any personal information.

Here's where you can find drop-off sites in Colorado Springs and Pueblo:

Colorado Springs

The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) will have four locations set up through the city, running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.:

• Police Operations Center: 705 S. Nevada Ave.
• King Soopers: 7915 Constitution Ave.
• Memorial Hospital: 4050 Briargate Pkwy.
• Widefield Parks and Recreation: 755 Aspen Dr.

CSPD also offers year-round drop-off locations. To find more information on what will and will not be accepted at these locations, click here.

Pueblo

The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) will also be collecting any unused, expired and unwanted prescription medications on April 26 at three locations across the city:

• Pueblo County Sheriff’s Pueblo West Substation: 320 E. Joe Martinez Blvd.
• Pueblo Rural Fire Station: 29912 U.S. Highway 50 E (between Wago Drive and 30th Lane)
• Valley Health Mart Pharmacy: 4493 Bent Brothers Blvd., Colorado City

According to PCSO, the drugs will be accepted completely anonymously before being disposed of safely.

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