Students, faculty and staff members had the opportunity to get rid of their expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs on September 24 at UCF’s annual on-campus “Drug Take Back” event. Hosted by UCF Student Health Services and UCF Police Department, the event was to educate the UCF community on proper drug disposal and offer a convenient way to dispose of medicines for free. Practicing proper drug disposal protects the nation’s waterways, as well as helps to keep the substances out of the hands of abusers.
A total of 75.5 pounds of medicines was collected; the most since the event was initiated five years ago. “Each year we see better and better utilization of this program,” said Brenda Walker, UCF pharmacist. “It’s great to see that people are paying attention to the importance of proper drug disposal.”
In addition to the annual event, the UCF community can dispose of medications year-round thanks to two permanent drug take back boxes located in the main pharmacy and Student Union.
The event is part of a national take back program administered by the Drug Enforcement Administration). Local law enforcement agencies like UCF Police and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months.