HERMISTON, Ore.-Got a cabinet full of unwanted, unused or expired pills at home? The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is April 26.
“As a pharmacist, I encourage my friends and family to dispose of any medications or supplements they are no longer taking or those that are expired,” said Michelle Hall, PharmD, the Interim Director of Pharmacy at Good Shepherd Health Care System.
On Prescription Drug Take Back Day, the public is encouraged to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a means of preventing accidental poisoning, medication misuse and possible opioid addiction, according to the DEA.
Over 100,000 Americans die each year due to drug overdoses or from drug poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Resources, including treatment and recovery option are available for those struggling with a substance use disorder (SUD).
Prescription Drug Take Back Day also provides an alternative to flushing unused medications down toilets or drains, where they can impact fish, wildlife and people if they get into the water system, according to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
Pills and capsules, both prescription and over-the-counter, may be turned in during Prescription Drug Take Back Day, however, liquids, sharps, needles or illegal drugs will not be accepted.
Medications should be kept in their prescription bottles or packaging and placed in clear, sealed bags before being turned in at a Take Back Day event. Names and other personal information should be blacked out on bottles.
“I have been known to rummage through my mother’s medicine cabinet and ask permission to dispose of a few bottles,” said Hall. “Knowing that I am helping her keep her medications current gives me some peace of mind.”
A collection site locator tool is available online through the DEA.
The Good Shepherd Clinic Pharmacy is a prescription drop-off location and is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The prescription drop-box inside the Pharmacy entrance is available during regular business hours.
Little pills can make a big difference
2025 marks the 28th year of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day program, with events held every April and October. To date 9,600 tons of prescription drugs have been returned, according to the DEA.
In Oregon 1,682 pounds of medications were returned to 20 collection sites across the state during the most recent National Take Back Day event in October 2024.
In Washington State, 5,736 pounds of pills were turned in across 66 collection sites in October, according to data from the DEA.
While National Drug Take Back Days highlight the importance of properly disposing of prescription drugs, medications can be turned in throughout the year.
Any day can be Drug Take Back Day
Prior to 2014 there was no way for people to get rid of unwanted prescription medicines, except to give them to law enforcement, and pharmacies, doctors’ offices, and hospitals were banned from accepting them.
DEA regulations were changed at the federal level in 2014 to allow more locations to accept unwanted, unused or expired medications on a routine basis.
In the past 11 years, 16,500 pharmacies, hospitals, businesses and police departments across the country have implemented year-round prescription medication drop-boxes.
More than 50 communities throughout Oregon, including many in the Eastern part of the state, now have year-round prescription medication drop-boxes available, according to the OHA, which publishes a statewide list of locations.
Eastern Oregon prescription drop-box locations
Hermiston
- Good Shepherd Clinic Pharmacy: 600 NW 11th Street
- Hermiston Drug and Gift: 114 E. Main Street
- Mirasol Family Health Center Pharmacy: 589 NW 11th
- Hermiston Police Department: 330 S. 1st Street
- Safeway Pharmacy: 990 Highway 395 S.
- Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office: 915 S.E. Columbia Drive
Stanfield
- Stanfield Police Department: 105 W. Hood
Umatilla
- Carlson’s Umatilla Drug: 821 6th Street
Boardman
- Murray’s Boardman Pharmacy: 101 SW. Kinkade Road
- Columbia River Pharmacy: 220 S. Maint Street
- Boardman Police Department: 200 City Center Circle
Pendleton
- Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office: 4700 NW Pioneer Place
- Pendleton Police Department: 622 Airport Road
- Safeway Pharmacy: 201 SW Court Place
- Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center: 46314 Ti’mine Way
Pilot Rock
- Pilot Rock Police Department: 143 W. Main Street
Heppner
- Morrow County Sheriff’s Office: 325 Willow View Drive
- Murray’s Drug: 217 N. Main Street
Milton-Freewater
- Milton-Freewater Police Department: 716 S. Columbia Street
- Safeway Pharmacy: 455 N. Columbia Street
La Grande
- Grande Ronde Hospital Pharmacy: 900 Sunset Drive
- Red Cross Drug Store: 1123 Adams Avenue
- La Grande Police Department: 1109 K Avenue
- Safeway Pharmacy: 2111 Adams Avenue
