BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland State Police and Baltimore County Police Department, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration, are asking citizens to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs during the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, on Saturday, October 29, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

State police barracks throughout Maryland will be participating in the National Drug Take Back Day. Each barrack will act as a collection station giving citizens an opportunity to dispose of all unwanted and unused prescription drugs. The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration will also have a collection site at the Glen Burnie branch located at 6601 Ritchie Highway. The collection site will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. inside the lobby of building A.

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

Second only to marijuana, non-medical prescription drugs are the most commonly used drug in the country. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, the majority of teenagers abusing prescription drugs are finding an unlimited supply in their family’s medicine cabinet.

At the last Take Back Day event in April 2022, Maryland State Police collected more than 1,133 pounds of unwanted and unused prescriptions medications. This included 207 pounds from the Glen Burnie Barrack, 138.05 pounds from the Frederick Barrack, 125.25 pounds from the Westminster Barrack, 104.25 from the Golden Ring Barrack and 88.7 pounds from the North East Barrack. Since 2014, Maryland State Police has successfully removed nearly 26,000 pounds of unused medications from their homes in an effort to prevent medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting​. ​

As part of Maryland’s combined effort to reduce opioid abuse, Maryland State Police barracks across the state have become around-the-clock drop-off locations for unused prescription medications. All 23 Maryland State Police barracks are now equipped with secure drug collection boxes and available around-the-clock for unused medication drop off. No questions will be asked when deposits are made. Citizens can locate the closest Maryland State Police barrack by clicking here.

A list of drop-off locations in Baltimore County can be found in the graphic below.

Photo by Alex Green from Pexels