St. Cloud VA Taking Part in Drug Take Back Day

(KNSI) — Drug Take Back Day is this Saturday, April 22nd for people to clean out the medicine cabinet and toss old prescriptions.

The public can bring medications to the main building at the St. Cloud VA Medical Center between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. where they will be directed to the drop box. Public Affairs Officer Barry Venable told KNSI News it’s a simple process. “It’s your typical drop box, we used to call them amnesty boxes in the army, but it is a safe place to dispose of unused and expired medications.”

Venable says it’s important for a number of reasons to get rid of those drugs, including simple home safety. “You only need those current medications in the house. Others are frankly mischief waiting to happen. Furthermore, some of these, particularly the controlled substances, are really environmentally harmful and the last thing we want to see happen with them is to get them flushed down the toilet and impact our water supply.”

Those who can’t participate can use the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Public Disposal Locations Search Tool to find a year-round collection site.

The VA holds a drug take-back event every six months thanks to a bill signed in 2021 called the Dispose Unused Medications and Prescription Opioid Act. Veterans enrolled for VA care can dispose of their expired and unused medications during regular business hours by using the drop box in the pharmacy area at the medical center.

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