Cedar Rapids Police Department sees phenomenal turnout on Prescription Drug Take Back Day

Twice a year, The Drug Enforcement Administration hosts National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Here, residents have opportunities to clean out their medicine cabinets and properly dispose of unwater or experienced medications.

On Saturday, 95 collection sites could be found across Iowa, one of them in Cedar Rapids.

Community members brought in bags of pills where they were collectively thrown into a garbage bag. From there officials will dispose of them properly, keeping it out of the landfills, soil and waterways.

Take Back Day also keeps the medicines out of the hands of someone who might misuse the drugs.

Lindsay Powers is the Eastern Iowa Heroin Initiative Officer. She said an event like Take Back Day relives some stress for local residents.

“The drug takeback day and medications, it really also hits on the mental health and the emotional well being of our citizens and our community members. The pandemic has taken a big mental toll on our people and having a little thing like this. Let us take those un needed, unwanted prescriptions off your hands, its one less thing for those people to worry about,” said officer Powers.

Powers said the turn out this spring was phenomenal. They collected medications from twenty people in the first hour. That is how many people they helped total in October.

Take Back Day happens twice a year, but residents can find a receptacle all year round at the Cedar Rapids Police Department.