Mayors’ Blue Ribbon Commission on Addiction to Host Take Back Tuesday Event on July 31

The Mayors’ Blue Ribbon Commission on Addiction will host another Take Back Tuesday event on Tuesday, July 31 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 properly dispose of unused and unwanted over-the-counter and prescription medications, thereby helping protect the environment and prevent drug diversion and misuse. Take Back programs are also a strategy to help combat the opioid epidemic.

The first Take Back Event of 2018 took place on June 19 at Fargo Cass Public Health and generated 143 pounds of medications from 110 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, statewide prescription drug disposal programs at local law enforcement agencies and pharmacies.  To view a list of all permanent Take Back locations throughout North Dakota, visit  http://attorneygeneral.nd.gov/public-safety/take-back-program/take-back-program-locations. For a list of drug Take Back locations in Minnesota, visit http://DoseOfReality.MN.gov.

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.