State partners with DEA for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

The Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General is partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Hawaiʻi Department of Law Enforcement Narcotics Enforcement Division and local law enforcement agencies to participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

Anyone with expired or unused medications is encouraged to bring them to the collection sites located on Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi island on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

National Take Back Initiatives are conducted twice a year and are free and anonymous services to the public – no questions asked. Tablets, capsules, liquids, and other forms of medication will be accepted. Everything can be kept in its original container. No labels need to be removed. Vaping devices will also be accepted, but batteries must be removed. New or used syringes will not be accepted.

DEA Honolulu District Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge Victor Vazquez said the National Take Back Initiative supports DEA’s commitment to the health and safety of all residents in Hawaiʻi.

“The results of these semi-annual take back events have been substantial, with thousands of pounds of unneeded and potentially dangerous medications being collected and safely destroyed,” Vazquez said.

Vazquez encourages everyone to remove any unused and expired medications from their homes for drop-off at designated collection sites located throughout the state on April 27. The majority of the take back locations will be organized as drive-thru locations, which can be found at http://ag.hawaii.gov.

“These take backs help to assure residents that those living in their homes will be kept safe from unintended poisoning and misuse of prescription drugs,” said Valerie Mariano, branch chief, Community and Crime Prevention, in the Department of the Attorney General.

“We encourage the community to dispose of their unwanted and unused medications at this National Take Back Initiative. We can all do our part to keep Hawaiʻi safe from drug misuse, accidental poisonings, and overdoses,” said Department of Law Enforcement Deputy Director Jared Redulla.

Unused or expired medicine should be properly disposed of when no longer needed.

Medicines may lose their effectiveness after the expiration date. Having unused or expired medicine in your home increases the risk of accidental poisoning. Homes where children or the elderly live are especially vulnerable to this danger.

People may mistake one type of medicine for another; or children may mistake medicine for candy.

Medicine should not be thrown in the trash or flushed down the toilet. Proper disposal reduces the risk of prescription drugs entering the human water supply or potentially harming aquatic life.