Grapevine residents can drop off unused or expired prescription medications for free on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the city's Annual Drug Take Back Event.
The collection runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Public Safety Building, 1007 Ira E. Woods Ave. No appointment is needed.
The Grapevine event is one of more than 4,400 collection sites set up across the country for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's 31st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, according to a DEA press release. The program works with more than 4,300 law enforcement partners nationwide.
The Grapevine site accepts unused or expired prescription medications. Needles, liquids and illegal drugs will not be accepted, according to the city's event announcement. That differs from the DEA's national guidelines, which list liquid medications sealed in original containers as accepted items. Residents with liquid prescriptions to dispose of should check with the Grapevine Police Department before heading to the event.
The city's announcement said the initiative helps keep medications out of the wrong hands and prevents them from entering the environment.
DEA Administrator Terry Cole said the national program has removed "more than twenty million pounds of unneeded medications" from American homes since 2010. "By participating in Take Back Day, you are preventing potentially addictive medications from falling into the wrong hands …" Cole said in the agency's announcement.
The DEA lists prescription opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and morphine among the most frequently misused prescription pain medications, citing the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Removing those drugs from medicine cabinets reduces the risk of misuse or accidental ingestion, the agency said.
Residents who cannot make Saturday's event still have options. The DEA says more than 15,300 pharmacies, hospitals and businesses offer safe medication disposal year-round. Many police departments also maintain permanent drop boxes. A searchable map of disposal sites is available at DEATakeBack.com.
