Drug Take Back Day to be held in seven sites in Doña Ana County

Las Cruces Sun-News
Updated ·3 min read

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in partnership with local law enforcement, offers a chance to anonymously dispose of your unneeded medications.

For more than a decade, DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has helped Americans rid their homes of medications – those that are old, unwanted, or no longer needed – that too often become a gateway to addiction.

On Saturday, April 22, the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at six sites in Doña Ana County.

Residents can dispose of tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of medications – both prescription and over the counter - are accepted. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), illicit drugs, syringes and sharps are not accepted. DEA will accept vaping devices and cartridges, provided lithium batteries are removed.

Last October, Drug Take Back Day collected more than 647,000 pounds of prescription drugs at 4,902 sites across the United States, with 2,710 pounds collected in New Mexico.

In Doña Ana County, 7 percent of high school freshmen and 11percent of high school juniors reported improperly using pain medication on the most recent Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey, a self-reported survey on youth behaviors.

A majority of people who misused a prescription medication obtained the medicine from a family member or a friend, according to a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SMHSA),

“For more than a decade, DEA has partnered with local law enforcement and other agencies to help make our communities safer and healthier through National Prescription Drug Take Back Day,” said Greg Millard, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s El Paso Division. “We encourage everyone to mark their calendars and bring us their unwanted and expired medications that day.”

Safely disposing of medications during Take Back Day also means keeping our community environmentally safe by keeping prescriptions out of the water supply and out of landfills.

“NMSU Pre-Pharmacy Society members believe that proper medication disposal saves lives and protects the environment,” says Gabriella Duran, President, NMSU Pre-Pharmacy Society. “For those reasons, DEA Take Back Day is consistently the most popular volunteer opportunity provided by our members to the community.”

“Students provide support at several DEA Take Back Day sites in Las Cruces because they understand the importance of proper disposal of expired and unused medications,” shares Amy Buesing, Pharmacist and Faculty Advisor, NMSU Pre-Pharmacy Society. “Pre-Pharmacy students enjoy interacting with the assigned law enforcement officer and members of the public while gaining valuable insight about the current opioid epidemic and other medication-related issues in our region.”

Participating local law enforcement includes Hatch Police Department, Las Cruces Police Department, Mesilla Marshal's Department, Sunland Park Police Department, and White Sands Missile Range.

DEA Take Back Day sites in Doña Ana County:

  • Hatch Police Department, 5 Chile Capitol Ln., Hatch

  • Mesilla Town Hall, 2231 Avenida de Mesilla, Mesilla

  • Sunland Police Department, 1000 McNutt Rd., Sunland Park

  • East Mesa Public Safety Complex, 550 Sonoma Ranch Blvd., Las Cruces

  • Elks Lodge, 3000 Elks Dr., Las Cruces

  • Walgreens on West Picacho, 2700 W. Picacho Ave., Las Cruces

Military residents in Doña Ana County can also dispose of their unneeded medications at the following site:

  • Building 128, 465 Dyer Street, White Sands Missile Range

For information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about April’s upcoming Drug Take Back Day event, go to takebackday.com or contact Jessica Garcia at jgarcia@chi-phi.org.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Drug Take Back Day to be held in seven sites in Doña Ana County