State Creates Permanent Household Medication Drop-Off Locations
DENVER (CBS4) - Colorado health officials are setting up permanent locations across the state for people to dispose of medications they no longer need in an effort to reduce prescription drug abuse.
"Prescription medication misuse and overdose numbers continue to climb, especially among youth. One simple thing we can all do to help is to dispose of our medications responsibly," Colorado Chief Medical Officer Dr. Larry Wolk said in a prepared statement.
Health officials say more than a third of teens who abuse prescription drugs get them from medicine cabinets in their homes.
Officials hope to have at least one "take-back" location set up in every county in the state by the end of the year. They announced this week they have recently set up 42 such locations in 24 Colorado counties.
All of the locations are listed on the website takemedsback.org.
Disposing of medications safely also ensures they don't get thrown away of flushed down the toilet, which can be harmful to water quality and to the environment.
Additional Resources
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment released the following information about the drop-off locations:
Additional drop-off locations are still needed, so any pharmacy, law enforcement agency, medical clinic or hospital interested in participating should call 303-692-2903.
