Public Safety

Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet the Safe Way

Reading Time: 2 minutes

For the last two years, prescription drug overdose deaths have hit record highs in San Diego County. The sad part is that some of these deaths may have been prevented if everyone safely disposed of their unwanted prescription drugs.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in partnership with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement agencies, is hosting a Prescription Drug Take Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at sheriff’s stations and other locations around the county.

On a drug take-back day last April, the DEA and local partners collected 9,849 pounds of prescription medications in San Diego and Imperial counties. Nationally, 371 tons of prescription medications were collected that day.

In some cases, drug abusers, many of them teenagers, get their drugs from the homes of family and friends, according to the San Diego Sheriff’s web site. The County Medical Examiner’s 2012 Annual Report states there were 269 deaths that year related to prescription drugs, which is part of a disturbing trend seen over the last seven years.

Studies show unwanted, unused and expired prescription drugs not only can end up in the wrong hands but they can damage the environment if disposed improperly. Residents sometimes flush medications down the toilet, but that pollutes the ground water supplies since synthetic substances can’t be removed through normal water treatment processes. The contamination can make the water unsafe to drink for people and wildlife, and make it unusable for agriculture.

Instead, the DEA and sheriff are making 41 drop boxes available including six County locations Saturday. No questions will be asked when medications are turned in. Sharps and needles are not accepted. County locations for Saturday include: 

  •  Imperial Beach Sheriff’s Station, 845 Imperial Beach Blvd., Imperial Beach
  • Alpine Sheriff’s Station, 2751 Alpine Blvd., Alpine
  • Lemon Grove Sheriff’s Station, 3240 Main St., Lemon Grove
  • Fallbrook Sheriff’s Station, 388 E. Alvarado St., Fallbrook
  • Poway Sheriff’s Station, 13100 Bowron Road, Poway
  • San Diego County Juvenile Hall, 2801 Meadow Lark Dr., San Diego

 For other Saturday locations, see this flier.

Additionally, the Sheriff’s department accepts unwanted medications at secure drop boxes at its headquarters, stations and substations from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. See this list for those locations.

Yvette Urrea Moe is a communications specialist with the County of San Diego Communications Office. Contact