Drug Take Back Day Aimed To Keep Medications Out Of The Wrong Hands

The Drug Enforcement Administration said old prescription drugs, like the ones in your medicine cabinet, can be dangerous in the wrong hands.

Tulsans can get rid of unused and expired medications at various locations Saturday as part of the 21st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. 

Drug Take Back Day is designed to urge people to dispose of unused medications in their homes to keep drugs from harming a loved one.

The DEA said opioid overdose deaths increased during the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, over 93,000 people died from an overdose, which the DEA said averages out to approximately 250 deaths per day.

The agency said properly getting rid of those unused pills can help protect your health and environment. 

You can anonymously visit one of the 10 dropoff locations in the Tulsa metro area between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday to properly dispose of medications. 

The DEA said most addiction starts with prescription pills. 

"They get their first painkiller out of their medicine cabinet at home...or they get it from a friend who got it out a medicine cabinet at their home. So, opioid addiction almost always starts with prescription pills,” DEA agent John Scott said.

Dropoff locations include:

1. Four Reasor’s locations (11116 S Memorial Dr, Bixby; 3915 S Peoria Ave, Tulsa; 7114 S. Sheridan Road**, Tulsa; 2001 S. Muskogee Ave, Tahlequah),
2. Walgreens (2323 W Edison St, Tulsa)
3. The M.e.t. Recycling Center (3495 S Sheridan Rd, Tulsa)
4. Elks Lodge (5335 S. Harvard, Tulsa)
5. Broken Arrow Events Park (21101 E 101 St.**, Broken Arrow)
6. Sand Springs Police Department (602 W Morrow Rd, Sand Springs)
7. Northeastern Health Systems (1400 E Downing Street, Tahlequah) 

**New this fall - two locations will accept medical sharps: 7114 S. Sheridan Tulsa - sharps must be in a sealed hard container before dropping off 21101 E 101 St. Broken Arrow – sharps must be in a sealed, red sharps container.