COLUMBIA, S.C. — Saturday, April 30, is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and in South Carolina, the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) will be hosting sites across the state for individuals to safely drop off unused, expired or unwanted prescription drugs.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reports nearly 50% of abused prescription drugs come from family and friends keeping or passing along unused or unwanted medication. The South Carolina Attorney General's Office suggests that you or your caregiver check your medicine cabinet for any unused or expired medications, including opioids. Opioids go by many names including Vicodin, Oxycontin, Percocet, Opana, tramadol, morphine, Kadian, and Avinz, and are a major source of addiction and misuse that can lead to death.
Unused or expired medications of all sorts -- not just opioids -- can lead to accidental poisoning, misuse and overdose. Disposing of these drugs can help save lives and protect the environment.
Take Back locations will collect the following items:
- tablets
- capsules
- patches
- solid forms of prescription drugs
- vaping devices and cartridges with lithium batteries removed
What will NOT be collected:
- liquids, including intravenous solutions
- syringes and other sharps
- illegal drugs
Drug collection sites in South Carolina can be found by typing in your zip code at this link. In Richland and Lexington counties, the Irmo, Forest Acres, West Columbia, and Springdale police departments, Richland County Sheriff's Department, Palmetto Health Richland, Lexington Medical Center, and Fort Jackson Main Exchange are just some of the drop-off sites open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.
South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS) also provides a map of drop-off sites that collect unwanted/unused drugs year-round at justplainkillers.com/drug-safety.
According to DEA data, at the last Take Back Day in October 2021, the DEA collected 744,082 pounds (372 tons) of unwanted/unused drugs -- South Carolinians contributed 9,663 pounds to that total.
