National Prescription Drug Take Back Day 2021 In Dutchess County

DUTCHESS COUNTY, NY — If you have half-empty bottles of unused prescription drugs littering your bathroom shelves or medicine cabinet, mark your calendars for Saturday.

This year’s first National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will take place April 24, giving residents of Dutchess County an opportunity to dispose of the medications safely before they end up in the wrong hands.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration will host the 20th event in cooperation with law enforcement agencies. The service is free and anonymous. All pills will be accepted, but liquids, needles and sharps can’t be taken during this event.

This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., representatives from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and the Dutchess County STOP-DWI Program will host drive-through locations for residents to drop off unused medication at the following venues:

• Home Depot parking lot; 3470 North Road (Route) 9; Poughkeepsie
• Walgreens parking lot; 704 Freedom Plains Road; LaGrange
• J.H. Ketcham Fire House; 3133 Route 22; Dover Plains

If you can’t make it there, find a drug take-back site here.

• Dutchess County Law Enforcement Center, 108 Parker Avenue, Poughkeepsie
• New York State Police, Troop K Headquarters, 2541 Route 44, Salt Point
• City of Beacon Police Department, 1 Municipal Plaza, Beacon
• East Fishkill Police Department, 2468 Route 52, Hopewell Junction
• Hyde Park Police Department, 3 Cardinal Road, Hyde Park
• Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, 19 Tucker Drive, Poughkeepsie
• Wappingers Falls Police Department, 2628 South Avenue, Wappingers Falls

• Village of Millerton Police Department, 21 Dutchess Ave., Millerton; Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, noon to midnight; Sunday, 4 p.m. to midnight
• Village of Red Hook Police Department, 7467 South Broadway, Red Hook; Daily, 8 a.m. to midnight
• Village of Rhinebeck Police Department, 76 East Market Street, Rhinebeck; Daily, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Pawling Substation, 9 Memorial Avenue, Pawling; Residents can call 845-486-3000 to make arrangements for drop-off

According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, millions of people every year misuse prescription pain relievers, stimulants, tranquilizers and sedatives. Nearly 50,000 people in the United States died from opioid-involved overdoses that year.

The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from a home’s medicine cabinet.

The last drug take-back event was held in October 2020. During the event, partners collected nearly 985,400 pounds of unused prescription drugs nationwide, the largest amount ever collected in the program’s 10 years. Almost 32,000 pounds were collected in New York.

Nearly 13.7 million pounds of expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications have been collected since the program’s inception.

The Environmental Protection Agency offers guidance on items not accepted during take-back events, including the disposal of sharps and other medical waste. The Food and Drug Administration offers tips on getting rid of liquid medicines that are expired or no longer needed.

Given the ongoing pandemic, both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency also have tips on how to safely dispose of drugs without leaving home.