Clean Out Your Medicine Chest: National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Is October 23

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Most of us probably have old unused or expired prescription medication sitting in our medicine cabinets taking up space because we just haven't bothered to do a proper clean-out or we don't know what to do with them.

It's easy to get rid of unwanted prescriptions on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day which is coming up on Saturday, October 23. This day is dedicated to preventing drug addiction and overdose deaths which happens all too often. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives in 2019. How does this happen, the survey reveals that typically, these substances are acquired from family and friends - taken from the medicine cabinet.

To get rid of your unwanted prescription drugs, The Otsego County Sheriff’s Office will be accepting expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs this Saturday at 172 County Highway 33W, Cooperstown from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at no charge and with no questions asked. They will not be accepting sharps, needles, liquids, aerosols, and ointments. There is also a dropbox in the lobby of the Sheriff's Office open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, you can visit the event Facebook page.

If you can't make it to the Sheriff's Office with your prescriptions on Saturday, there is another Drug Take-Back event sponsored by the Oneonta Police Department and the Otsego County Sheriff's Department on Oct. 28, from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Foothills Performing Arts Center in Oneonta.

In addition to the above special events, the Foxcare Pharmacy in Oneonta, NY will take any unwanted or expired prescription medications during business hours on an ongoing basis.