The Nebraska MEDS Coalition and Nebraska Attorney General, Doug Peterson, would like to remind you that improperly disposing of unwanted medications can harm the environment. Keeping old prescriptions in medicine cabinets can also increase the chance for misuse, possibly leading to accidental poisoning or illegal use.

Prescription drug misuse and abuse is a growing problem. A recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed that prescription drugs rank second only to marijuana as the most abused category of drugs in the United States. In fact, more Americans abuse prescription drugs than cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin, and inhalants combined. Unfortunately, drug abuse is not the only issue. Every year, more than 70,000 children under the age of eighteen years end up in the emergency room because of accidental poisoning from medications – that is one child every eight minutes.

What can you do?
Clean out your cabinets at home, collect all the unwanted and expired prescription and over-the-counter medications, and take them to an authorized drug take back location. Nebraska is fortunate to have multiple safe and easy methods and locations to dispose of your unwanted medications.

• Did you know that there are over 290 pharmacies across Nebraska that will dispose of unwanted medication every day? Go to http://www.nebraskameds.org/ and enter your zip code or city to find participating pharmacies closest to you.
• April 30th is the Drug Enforcement Agency’s National “Drug Take Back Day.” Check dea.gov for local sites that will be collecting unwanted medications.

The (MEDS) coalition consists of the Nebraska Pharmacists Association, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, The Nebraska Regional Poison Center, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, WasteCap Nebraska and Groundwater Foundation. The mission of the Nebraska MEDS Coalition is to educate Nebraskans about drug disposal and provide safe ways to dispose of them in order to better safeguard the environment and protect public health.