The Ankeny Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration want to help make homes safe by destroying all expired or unused prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Ankeny police officers will be at the Ankeny Police Department, 411 SW Ordnance Rd., Saturday, April 22, 2023, from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. to take possession of any expired or unused prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.
Last fall, Americans turned in over 320 tons of prescription drugs at nearly 4,902 sites operated by the DEA and 4,340 of its state and local law enforcement partners. The DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, has now collected 8,318 tons of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications since the inception of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative in 2010.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
The Ankeny Police Department will collect tablets, capsules, patches and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs will not be accepted. The DEA will continue accepting vaping devices and cartridges at its drop-off locations if lithium batteries are removed.
Helping people dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs is just one way the DEA and Ankeny Police Department are working together to reduce addiction and stem overdose deaths.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Take Back Day event on April 22, visit www.DEATakeBack.com or contact Sgt. Corey Schneden with the Ankeny Police Department at 515-289-5257 or cschneden@ankenyiowa.gov.