The MTSU campus community and the public are welcome to participate in the next MTSU Drug Take-Back Day from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, near the Campus Pharmacy drive-thru.

Expired, unused, and unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medicines will be accepted, said Lisa Schrader, director of Health Promotion, who added, that if possible, please leave medicines in their original packaging. For prescription medicines, black out any personally identifying information on the label.

MTSU pharmacist Tabby Ragland, left, takes a bag of unwanted medications from Carolyn Powers, MTSU retiree, in October 2018 during the Campus Pharmacy/University Police drug take-back event at the Campus Rec Center. This event is part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s effort to remove excess drugs from communities where they could be abused or misused, diverted into the wrong hands or disposed of in environmentally unsafe ways. (MTSU file photo by J. Intintoli)

To find the drop-off location adjacent to the Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center, 1848 Blue Raider Drive, visit http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap.

Lisa Schrader

Sponsored by Campus Pharmacy and University Police, the drug take-back event is part of a national collection drive led by the Drug Enforcement Administration to remove excess drugs from communities where they could be abused or misused, diverted into the wrong hands or disposed of in environmentally unsafe ways.

Those collecting the unwanted medications are unable to accept sharps (needles) at this event, Schrader said.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, secure, and environmentally responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse and trafficking of medications.

The nonmedical use of controlled substance medications is at an all-time high. A study sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration revealed more than 54 percent of people who abuse prescription pain relievers got them through friends or relatives, a statistic that includes raiding the family medicine cabinet.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)