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The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Department of Health, and TN Together are teaming up to encourage participation in the upcoming National Drug Take-Back Day in October 2023.
Too often, unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands. That’s dangerous and often tragic. That’s why it was great to see thousands of folks from across the country clean out their medicine cabinets and turn in – safely and anonymously – a record amount of prescription drugs.
The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medication.
If you don't properly dispose of the unused or expired prescription drugs in your home, they might find a new one.
Make it a goal to count your pills once every two weeks. This will prevent theft and help ensure medications are taken properly.
Lock up your medications and store them in a secure place that others would not think to look.
Drop off your unused or expired medications for proper disposal at drop boxes located in participating law enforcement offices or pharmacies.
Deterra is on a mission to prevent drug abuse and protect our environment through safe, permanent disposal of unused prescription and over the counter medications. The Deterra Drug Deactivation and Disposal System is an easy-to-use drug disposal system can be used at home or in a clinical setting to safely destroy unused or expired medications, making them unavailable for misuse and safe for disposal in the normal trash.
DisposeRx, Inc., a North Carolina-based company, is dedicated to decreasing the risks of drug diversion, overdoses, accidental poisonings and antibiotic resistance by facilitating medication management behavior change and eradicating the misuse of leftover medications. DisposeRx’s patented drug disposal packets and education programs are currently available at almost 60% of retail pharmacies and through 90% of the wholesale pharmacy and medical distributors across the nation.
You probably already know it – take-back events are a great way to make our homes and our communities safer by removing prescription drugs that could potentially be misused. Pull out your phone and shoot a short message: “I take back because …”
Send us your videos (via email to matthew.parriott@tn.gov), and we’ll use them on social media and on TNTogether.com. When it comes to the actual take-back day on April 22nd, don’t forget to tag Tennessee Together in your posts and use #TNTakeBack.
Tennessee Together houses local and state prevention, addiction, and recovery resources alongside engaging ideas and stories that inspire Tennesseans to get involved.
TNTogether.com officially launched in 2018 as an initiative powered by the Tennessee Department of Health in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) is the state’s mental health and substance abuse authority. Its mission is to create collaborative pathways to resiliency, recovery, and independence for Tennesseans living with mental illness and substance use disorders. Learn more about our impact and our services on our website.
The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) is the state’s public health agency. Its mission is to protect, promote, and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee. Through the ResilienTN partnership, TDH has been able to amplify attention to the department’s ongoing work to reduce drug overdoses and suicides across the state through education, community-engagement, and data-driven solutions. To learn more about TDH, visit our website.
