UH Among Collection Sites for DEA National Drug Take-Back Day Oct. 26

Pharmacy Students Encourage Community to Drop Off Prescription, OTC Drugs for Safe Disposal

Houston-area residents can drop off unused, unwanted and expired medications for safe disposal between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the University Center at University and Calhoun.

Houston (10-17-13) - The University of Houston will serve as
a collection site for the National Drug Take-Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, October 26, in partnership with the UH College of Pharmacy's American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists chapter and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

The UH collection site will be at the UH Campus Recreation & Wellness Center at Calhoun and University. Motorists can simply drive up to the collection area and hand off their unwanted medications to volunteers for safe disposal. 

In addition to the UH site, College of Pharmacy students will be assisting the Southeast Poison Control Center and the DEA with drug disposal at two other locations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: UTMB Specialty Care Center at Victory Lakes, 2240 Gulf Freeway South, League City, TX 77573, and UTMB Eye Center, 700 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555.   

Houston-area residents are encouraged to take advantage
of this opportunity to safely dispose of unused, expired and unwanted prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications in an effort to avoid accidental poisonings of children or pets as well as intentional misuse of potentially dangerous or addictive substances.

The Oct. 26 event is the seventh National Drug Take-Back Day, and the fifth time the college has assisted local, state and national authorities in the effort. More than 2.8 million pounds - nearly 1.5 tons - of prescription medications have been removed from circulation since the national initiative was launched in 2010.

According to the 2011 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), more than 6 million Americans abuse prescription drugs. That same study revealed more than 70 percent of people abusing prescription pain relievers got them through friends or relatives, a statistic that includes "raiding" the family medicine cabinet.

For more information, visit the DEA National Take-Back Day website.