Got Drugs?

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kristin High
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  The 2nd Security Forces Squadron will hold a Prescription Drug Take-Back Sept. 26 and Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Base Exchange.

The national initiative is held throughout the year for the public to turn in unused or expired medications for safe disposal.

"The purpose of the initiative is to get drugs off the streets," said Staff Sgt. Garrett Thompson, 2 SFS Police Services administrator. "When people hold on to medicine, it is more likely the drug will be misused or abused."

Discontinued or expired drugs can be harmful to a person's health, said Capt. Shaoping Mo, Officer in Charge of the 2nd Medical Group Main Pharmacy. If a person has leftover or outdated prescriptions, they should dispose of them properly.

Six months ago, 2 SFS collected more than 100 pounds of unused prescription drugs during a drug take-back held here.

"We encourage everyone to turn their old prescription drugs in on our take-back days," said Thompson. "There are no questions asked and no consequences to do so; we just collect the drugs and turn them into the DEA who will safely dispose of them."

According to the Food and Drug Administration, people should not flush old prescriptions down the toilet unless product labels specifically state that it is safe to do so.

If members cannot make take-back dates, there are a few other ways to rid medicine cabinets of old medications.

If no instructions are listed on the label, the FDA says the public may throw them in the household trash, but should take them out of their original container and mix them in a sealable bag with an undesirable substance such as kitty litter or used coffee grounds. This makes the medication less appealing to children and pets, and unrecognizable to people who may intentionally go through trash looking for drugs.

For more information on the National Prescription Drug Take-Back initiative, visit www.dea.gov.