Disposing of prescription drugs in Oregon, Washington

June 28, 2016   |   Provider News

If you or your patients are like most Americans, you probably have at least one or two unused prescription medications sitting in your bathroom cabinet. Prior to 2014, consumers wanting to dispose of these drugs legally had to give them to a law enforcement agency. But, that was often difficult and most people either flushed the drugs, resulting in waterway contamination, or threw them out in the garbage with the potential for theft or abuse by drug-seekers.

In 2014, the US Drug Enforcement Agency greatly expanded the types of locations that can accept unwanted medications on a routine basis to include drug manufacturers, distributors, narcotics treatment programs, retails pharmacies, and hospitals. By late 2015, multiple location in Oregon and Washington have modified their DEA registration to offer authorized collection locations. To find a DEA authorized collection location near you, visit https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1 and enter your ZIP code or a city/state combo to search by.

For more information on disposing of unwanted medicates in Oregon, visit https://public.health.oregon.gov/HealthyEnvironments/DrinkingWater/SourceWater/Pages/takeback.aspx

For more information on disposing of unwanted medications in Washington, visit http://www.atg.wa.gov/prescription-drug-disposal