National Take Back Day on October 14, 2017 resulted in 912,305 pounds of prescription drugs being collected. Please participate in the next National Take Back Day on October 27th. Bring your expired and unused prescription drugs to the Rx drug drop box locations throughout Rutland area. This will ensure that these drugs don't get into the wrong hands, or pollute our waterways and wildlife. Do your part to decrease Rx use in Rutland County!
In Rutland County:
In 2015, 1,188,227 prescriptions were given to 176,355 recipients, which is equivalent to 28% of Vermont residents.
5 percent of Rutland County high school youth grades 9-12 report that they took a prescription drug not prescribed to them in the past 30 days.
Nationally, over half of those who misused a prescription pain reliever got it from a friend or relative.
Source: Vermont Prescription Drug Monitoring and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2015)
Over 46,000 Americans die each year from drug-related deaths, with more than half from heroin and prescription opioid use. Roughly 1 in 10 Americans aged 12 or older engaged in illicit drug use in the past 30 days, of which 4.3 million reported current “nonmedical” use of prescription pain relievers. "Nonmedical" use is defined as the use of prescription-type drugs not prescribed for the user by a physician or used only for the experience they cause. A U.S. government report showed that more than 70 percent of people who first misuse prescription drugs get them from their friends, relatives or simply take them without asking. These statistics clarify the need for proper disposal of unused or expired prescription medications from the home to decrease prescription misuse and abuse.
Source: Rutland County SWAC.
As part of National Take Back Day, our communities will host collection sites where people can safely and anonymously drop off unused medications.
Medications can be dropped off at any of these Rutland County locations,
10am-2pm
Castleton Police Department
Diamond Run Mall
Fair Haven Police Department
Rutland County Sheriff’s Office
Rutland Pharmacy
Wilcox Pharmacy
Visit dea.gov to find Take Back Day disposal locations across Vermont. To find a year round disposal site near you, dial 2-1-1 or visit HealthVermont.gov/DrugTakeBack.
Learn more about safe use, safe storage, and safe disposal of prescription drugs at healthvermont.gov.