On Saturday, October 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Rapid City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its 12th opportunity in six years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
Bring your pills for disposal to the first floor lobby of the Public Safety Building at 300 Kansas City Street. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
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 U.S. are alarmingly high, 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, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.
The RCPD also maintains two permanent drop-boxes for Rapid City residents to bring their unwanted medications for safe disposal, located at:
- Evidence Building Lobby, 625 1st Street
Drop off medications between 7 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday-Friday
- Public Safety Building Lobby, 300 Kansas City Street
Drop off medications between 7 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday-Friday
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 22 Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Diversion website.