November 6, 2018

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Results

Montgomery County Police and the County’s Department of Health and Human Services thank community members who participated in the Oct. 27 U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. The DEA reported that “according to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.2 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.”

It is important that unused/unwanted prescription drugs be disposed of appropriately and without harm to the environment.

In 12 locations throughout the County, police collected 27 bags of prescription drugs, which weighed a total of 609 pounds. Rockville City Police, along with the County Sheriff’s Office, collected another 13 bags, which weighed 364 pounds. The returned medications are incinerated according to federal and state environmental guidelines.

A total of 57 Maryland law enforcement agencies took part, providing 109 collection sites statewide. They collected (including the Montgomery County totals) 11,119 pounds of unwanted prescription drugs.

The following law enforcement agencies in Montgomery County have prescription drug collection boxes available to the public at their stations for use throughout the year. These locations will accept prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications only. Liquids, illicit drugs, needles, sharps and syringes cannot be accepted as part of these take-back programs:
  • Chevy Chase Village Police – 5906 Connecticut Ave.
  • Gaithersburg Police – 14 Fulks Corner Ave.
  • Maryland State Police Rockville Barrack – 7915 Montrose Road
  • Takoma Park Police – 7500 Maple Ave. 
The next DEA National Prescription Drug Take-Back event will take place on Saturday, April 27, 2019.