The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office will once again partner with the Drug Enforcement Agency to collect potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. This take-back event is an opportunity for residents to help make their homes safer by disposing of their unused and unwanted prescription drugs.
The Sheriff’s Office is hosting three collection locations:
Kaiser Permanente – 5555 E. Arapahoe Road
Centennial Medical Plaza – 14200 E. Arapahoe Road
Smoky Hill Library – 5430 S. Biscay Circle
Collection sites will accept any medications, prescription or over-the-counter, brought in for disposal. Collections sites cannot accept needles or sharps of any kind; mercury thermometers; oxygen containers; chemotherapy drugs or radioactive substances; or pressurized canisters. Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative.
Many people are not aware that unused medications in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, many people do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medication, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potential safety and health hazards.
For more details, or to find a collection site near you, visit www.dea.gov. If you are unable to get to a collection site, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office has a medication drop box in the lobby of their headquarters at 13101 E. Broncos Parkway in Centennial. The lobby is open to the public from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.