National Drug Take-Back Day is April 30; dispose of unused or expired drugs at most State Police posts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Kentuckians can get rid of their unused or expired prescription drugs Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of National Drug Take-Back Day. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Most collections will be made at Kentucky State Police posts.

“The goal of these programs is to reduce the volume of drugs that could end up on the streets and then used illegally,” says the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy website.

All but two of the 16 KSP Posts will have “Take Back” locations on-site. Post 11 will have its collection at the Laurel County Health Department in London, and Post 8 will have a location at the Morehead Covention Center.

Sgt. Michael Webb, KSP spokesperson, said in the news release that the the program is designed to be easy for citizens and offered the following tips for those interested in participating:

• Participants may dispose of a medication in its original container or by removing the medication from its container and disposing of it directly into the disposal box located at the drop off location.
• All solid-dosage pharmaceutical products and liquids in consumer containers will be accepted.
• Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in original containers.
• The depositor should ensure that the cap is tightly sealed to prevent leakage.
• Intravenous solutions, injectables and syringes will not be accepted due to potential hazard posed by blood-borne pathogens.
• Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative and should not be placed in collection containers.

Not including this Take-Back Day, “Kentucky has collected a total of 59,719 pounds of unused and/or unwanted prescription medications at all Drug Take-Back events and locations since October 2011,” says the ODCP website. For more information about the Take-Back program, contact KSP at 502-782-1780 or click here.