LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Law enforcement agents across the state and nation partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration for its bi-annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

What You Need To Know

  • National Prescription Drug Take Back Day takes places bi-annually in April and October

  • The event provides a safe way to get rid of unneeded prescription drugs

  • The collected drugs are destroyed by high temperature incineration

  • It is an anonymous, no questions asked event

Police officers and sheriff’s deputies collected unused, unwanted, and unneeded prescription drugs as part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. 

Some in the Louisville area were relieved to get unneeded drugs out of their homes and off of their hands. 

LMPD officers helped with the effort. (Louisville Metro Police Department)

“My medicine cabinet was overflowing so I just started going through it, found stuff six seven eight years old in there and cleaned it all out,” said one community member. “I feel relieved because it’s been worrying me having all of those drugs in my medicine cabinet that we’re never going to use so this was a golden opportunity to get rid of it. 

The take back day gave community members the opportunity to discard drugs without making a negative impact on the environment. 

“My mom had given me a bunch of medicine. She’s 86 and she takes a lot of medicine and sometimes she can’t take it or whatever and she had it all piled up and wanted to get rid of it and we knew we couldn’t throw it away,” Cathy Felton said. “It’s not good to put it in a sewage system or someone might get it out of your trash. Animals could get them.”

Another goal of the event is to keep drugs out of the wrong hands and to prevent addiction and overdoses. 

“I know the opioid pandemic is bad too and I’ve had some family members that have gotten in trouble with drugs so I just wanted to get rid of them,” Felton said. 

According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, most drug abusers' addictions start with prescription drugs found in the homes of family and friends.

“It happens everyday where someone has something stolen,” said Louisville Metro Police Sergeant Tony Sacra. "It can be as young as 12, 13 years old. They find something in the cabinet, they take it, they get that funny feeling, they like it, then they continue to do it. Next thing you know they’re overdosed."

The collected drugs are destroyed by high temperature incineration. 

The nationwide “Take Back Day” is an anonymous, no questions asked event. 

If you were not able to make it to a collection site today, click here to find a year-round disposal nearest you.