Drug Take Back Provides Invaluable Education

The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. In April, the scheduled Drug Take Back Day was organized at CU Anschutz students from the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) American Student Pharmacists chapter, over the counter medicine safety group and led by two PharmD students, Daniel Donovan and Benjamin Abraham.

"Organizing the Drug Take Back Day empowered me for my role as a future pharmacist," said Donovan. "I am able to protect my community and keep them safe, starting within their own homes. Opioid-involved overdoses are one of the most avoidable causes of death. This was highest during the pandemic and has also caused an increase in other related diseases. This fact alone has decreased the average US life expectancy."

"Hopefully," he continued, "by offering more of these opportunities for safe disposal of medications, we are able to circumvent this. With medications such as fentanyl and carfentanil that are resistant to Naloxone administration, safe disposal of medication is always imperative and should be offered more frequently than it is now."

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