SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – It is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 22, 2023, and in South Lake Tahoe it will coincide with Earth Day at Lake Tahoe Community College.
The South Lake Tahoe Police Department and the Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids (TASK) will have a booth at the Earth Day event. Bring expired, unwanted, and unused human and pet prescription medications and drop them off at their booth into secure bins. No syringes or sharps will be accepted.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office will be holding a Take Back location at Safeway in Round Hill on the same day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will accept unused and expired medication, pet medication, and over-the-counter medications.
All solid-dosage pharmaceutical products and liquids in consumer containers will be accepted. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container with a tightly sealed cap to prevent leakage.
If prescriptions are being disposed of in their labeled bottles, mark out the patient’s name.
With opioid overdose deaths on the rise, the Drug Enforcement Administration is holding it’s 24th Take Back Day on April 22 across the country. Studies show a majority of abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets, clearing out unused medicine is essential.
The proper disposal of unused medication is at Take Back events, through deactivation kits, and using disposal bins at the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, Douglas County and El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, and Safeway Pharmacy in South Lake Tahoe.
TASK will be giving away locked bags for people to use in securing medication at home. They will also have Deterra Deactivation kits available. Unused medication can be put into the bags, and with a few drops of water, they are safe to dispose of in the garbage can.
For more information on TASK, visit https://www.tahoesafekids.com/.