The Mayors’ Blue Ribbon Commission on Addiction will host a Take Back Tuesday event on Tuesday, June 19 from 1 to 4 p.m. on the sidewalk outside the main entrance of Fargo Cass Public Health, located at 1240 25th Street South in Fargo.
The Take Back event will allow area residents to dispose of unused and unwanted over-the-counter and prescription medicines, thereby helping to protect the environment and keeping these drugs off the streets. These types of events work to combat the opioid epidemic in the metro community.
The first Take Back Event took place in June 2017 at Fargo Cass Public Health and generated 210 pounds of medications from 133 participants.
The following items will be accepted at the Take Back event:
- Unused or expired prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, including:
- Pills, tablets, caplets (remove product from the packaging)
- Inhalers, nebulizer solutions, liquids and creams (leave in the original container)
- Controlled substances
- Pain relief such as Vicodin, Hydrocodone, Demerol, OxyContin, fentanyl, etc.
- Anti-depressants such as Valium, Zoloft, Prozac, etc.
- Sleep aids, such as Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata, etc.
The following items will not be accepted at this Take Back event:
- Sharps (syringes, lancets), thermometers, glass, home-based care (HBC) or durable medical equipment (DME) supplies, and pharmacy inventory. Residents are encouraged to ask their pharmacists where to safely dispose of these items.
The Take Back program was launched in December 2009. North Dakota now offers two free programs for residents to dispose of unwanted medications – the Take Back program at participating law enforcement agencies and the MedSafe program at participating pharmacies. North Dakota is the only state in the nation operating free, year-round, state-wide prescription drug disposal programs at local law enforcement agencies and pharmacies. Visit the North Dakota Office of the Attorney General website to view a list of all permanent Take Back locations in North Dakota. Visit Dose of Reality for Take Back locations in Minnesota.
According to the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office, as of April 11, 2018, more than 11 TONS (22,612 pounds) of unwanted and unused medication has been collected from the Take Back containers at local law enforcement agencies.
The event is sponsored by a grant from the North Dakota Department of Human Services.