San Diego Community College District

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has dedicated Saturday, April 29, as National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and the police station at San Diego Mesa College is among the sites where residents can dispose of their unwanted prescription drugs. 

From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. anyone who has accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs can drop them off with no questions asked in the parking lot of the Mesa College police station, 7250 Mesa College Drive, San Diego.

DEA began hosting National Prescription Drug Take Back events in 2010. At the previous 11 Take Back Day events, more than 6.3 million pounds of unwanted, unneeded or expired medications were surrendered for safe and proper disposal. At the last Take Back Day in May 2016 more than 5,400 sites spread across the nation that collected unwanted medications. The disposal service is free and anonymous for members of the public, with no questions asked. Keep in mind that needles, sharps, asthma inhalers, and illicit drugs are not accepted at the drop box.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that 52 million people – or 1 in 5 of those aged 12 and older – have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons at least once in their lifetime, and National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is an attempt and reducing those numbers by reducing the amount of unused prescription drugs kept at home. According to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

More Information: Safe Drug Disposal and Prescription Drug Take Back Day