The DEA wants people to remove unused prescription medications from their homes and dispose of them properly.
People can drop off those medications at certain locations during the DEA’s National Drug Take Back Day event, which lasts from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024.
Anyone will be able to bring unwanted or expired medications for anonymous disposal. Pills must be in a container, loose pills will not be accepted. At most locations, people who want to dispose of prescription liquids, creams, and patches, will need to request a Deterra drug deactivation pouch. The pouch is used at home to deactivate and dispose of the products.
The DEA’s Drug Take Back Day is held twice a year, once in April and once in October.
How to find a collection site near you
You can use the DEA’s collection site locater to find a collection site near you.
You can enter your zip code, county, city, or state and search within a 10, 25, 50, or 100+ mile radius.
---> Substance use disorder resource guide: How to find treatment, harm reduction services in Michigan
Signs of an opioid overdose
According to the CDC, the following are signs of an overdose:
- Small, constricted “pinpoint pupils”
- Falling asleep or losing consciousness
- Slow, weak or no breathing
- Choking or gurgling sounds
- Limp body
- Cold and/or clammy skin
- Discolored skin (especially in lips and nails)
If you believe someone is experiencing an overdose, you should call 911 immediately and administer naloxone if it’s available. Try to keep them awake and breathing, move them to their side to prevent choking, and stay with them until help arrives.
Michigan passed a Good Samaritan law in 2016. It prevents drug possession charges against those who seek medical assistance for an overdose in certain circumstances.
Read: Can you overdose just by touching fentanyl? Many health experts say no
Testing drugs for fentanyl presence
It is nearly impossible to tell if drugs have been laced with fentanyl unless you test them with fentanyl test strips, according to the CDC.
The test strips were originally intended for urine drug tests, but they’re being used off-label to help reduce the harm that the drugs can cause.
Test strips are cheap and can provide results within five minutes. The CDC said to remain cautious even with a negative test, because test strips might not detect more potent fentanyl-like drugs, such as carfentanil. Test strips can also show false positives or false negatives.
Fentanyl has been found in heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, counterfeit pills, and other street drugs.
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