Prescription Drug Take-Back Events Saturday

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, State Narcotics Enforcement Division and the Department of Public Safety are partnering with the Hawai‘i State Department of the Attorney General to coordinate a prescription drug take-back event on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at various collection points on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Maui, Hilo and Kona.

This will be the DEA’s 14th National Take-Back Initiative for the state of Hawai‘i.

Anyone with expired or unused prescription medications is encouraged to bring them to the collection sites.

On the Big Island, there will be two collection sites:

• Hilo: Ka Waena Lapa‘au Medical Complex upper parking lot located at 670 Ponahawai St. in Hilo, at the corner of Ponahawai Street and Komohana Street
• Kona: Hawai‘i Police Department located at 74 -0611 Hale Makai Place, Kona Police Station parking lot Kailua-Kona

This service is free, anonymous and no questions are asked. Tablets, capsules and all other solid dosage forms of medication will be accepted. New or used needles and syringes will not be accepted.

“Expired prescription drugs on your shelf are dangerous to yourself and others,” said Attorney General Doug Chin. “Do the right thing and dispose of them safely.”

“Prescription drug abuse in Hawai‘i continues to be a serious concern and DEA is pleased to be working once again with the community as well as our state local partners to support the National Take Back Initiative,” said John Callery, assistant special agent in charge, DEA, Honolulu District Office.

“The Take-Back Program is a free, convenient way for the community to dispose of unneeded or unwanted medication,” said NED Administrator Jared Redulla. “The Department of Public Safety encourages the public to use this important program.”

In Hawai‘i, from September 2010 to April 2017, over 28,000 pounds of pharmaceuticals have been safely collected and disposed of at the previous 13 take-back events. Nationwide, the take-backs have collected a total of 4,052 tons of pharmaceuticals since September 2010.

Unused or expired medicine should be disposed of properly when it is no longer needed for the illness for which it was prescribed.

• Medicines may lose their effectiveness after the expiration date.
• Improper use of prescription drugs can be as dangerous as illegal drug use.

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 type. Children may mistake medicine for candy.

Unused or expired medicine should not be thrown in the trash or flushed down the toilet.

• Proper disposal helps reduce the risk of prescription drugs entering a human water supply or potentially harming aquatic life.

For more information, visit www.dea.gov or www.ag.hawaii.gov.