- Over 100 Utah sites will be part of a drug take-back event on April 25.
- The event aims to safely dispose of unneeded prescription drugs.
- Health experts say unused pills left in homes can increase the risk of drug misuse, addiction and overdose, particularly among teens.
SALT LAKE CITY — More than 100 collection sites across Utah will open Saturday, April 25, as part of a statewide drug take‑back event aimed at keeping unused and expired medications out of homes — and out of the hands of kids.
The event, hosted by the Drug Enforcement Administration Rocky Mountain Field Division, encourages people to clear out their medicine cabinets and safely dispose of prescription drugs they no longer need.
Last year, Utahns turned in more than 10,000 pounds of unneeded medications. Since the program began in 2010, the DEA and partners have collected more than 20 million pounds across the country.
"This is very safe. It's anonymous," said George Taylor, division diversion control program manager. "Drop your stuff off, and have a great day."
Health experts said unused pills left in homes can increase the risk of drug misuse, addiction and overdose, particularly among teens.
"We know that prescription opioids, prescription drugs, sitting in medicine cabinets at home, is a very significant upstream resource for adolescents experimenting and then going on to develop use disorders with prescription drugs," said Dr. Amy de la Garza, a family medicine physician in Salt Lake City who is also board-certified in addiction medicine.
De la Garza said that for many young people who later develop a substance use disorder, experimentation often begins with pills shared by friends.
"Pill parties happen in high school and college," she said. "Kids get whatever they can find from their medicine cabinets — from their moms, their grandmas, their aunts and uncles — and take them to parties to experiment."
She urges families not to hold onto old medications "just in case," pointing to the state's ongoing overdose crisis.
"Think about the fact that 10 people in Utah every week, kids included, die of prescription and fentanyl related overdoses," she said, "and you're just putting your family members or your family members' friends at risk of developing use disorder, or worse, a near-fatal or fatal overdose."
State health officials said many overdose deaths involve opioids, with illicit fentanyl now the most common drug involved. Prescription opioids still play a role, often in combination with other substances.
"You're going to make your community safer, and we'll dispose of it appropriately via incineration," said Taylor. "We don't want people flushing them down the toilet because that affects the water system. We don't want them thrown in the trash."
The drug take‑back event runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Most collection sites are located at police departments, though some pharmacies and grocery stores are also participating. If you're unable to take your prescriptions to a drop-off site tomorrow, you're encouraged to find a pharmacy with a drug take-back service.
A full list of Utah collection locations is available by searching your city or ZIP code.
