Drug Take Back Day: Where To Take Unused and Expired Medicine in Mesa County

Saturday, April 24 is National Drug Take-Back Day and there are several locations in Mesa County where you can properly dispose of unused and expired medications.

Most of us have prescription and over-the-counter drugs in our medicine cabinets we no longer need or that have reached their expiration date. Usually, it's a case of out of sight, out of mind. It's not something we often think about and so it is easy for unusable medications to pile up.

What Is the Purpose of Drug Take-Back Day

According to Mesa County Public Health, there are two basic reasons for having a drug take-back day. One good reason is to protect the environment and our drinking water supply, Medicines that are flushed down the toilet or the drain have the potential to find their way into our drinking water. Why take that chance?

Another good reason for Drug Take-Back day is to help prevent the abuse of prescription drugs. According to a 2019 survey, nearly 10 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives. The survey also shows a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, and quite often from a home medicine cabinet.

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Drug Disposal Locations In Mesa County

• Canyon View Pharmacy
  2373 G Rd. STE 120
  Grand Junction
• Colorado Canyons Hospital and Medical Center
  228 N Cherry Street
  Fruita
• DeBeque Town Marshal
  380 Curtis Ave
  DeBeque
• Palisade Pharmacy
  707 Elberta Ave.
  Palisade
• St. Mary's Hospital
  Garage Entrance
  Grand Junction
• VA Hospital (Main Lobby)
  2121 North Ave,
  Grand Junction
• Walgreens
  240 W Park Dr.
  Grand Junction
• Mesa County Landfill
  Hazardous Waste Disposal
  Grand Junction

Some locations will have specific restrictions such as no syringes, liquids, or controlled substances and available hours will vary by location. It takes just a few minutes to go through the medicine cabinet and check for expired drugs. This is a small way to help protect the environment and to prevent possible drug abuse or poisoning.