The Montana Department of Justice, local law enforcement agencies, tribal law enforcement agencies, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of unused prescription drugs on Saturday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Montanans are invited to bring their unwanted prescription pills and patches for free no-questions-asked disposal at one of 21 participating collection sites across the state.
“Take Back Day is an easy way for Montanans to properly dispose of outdated medications while helping prevent opioid misuse in our communities,” Attorney General Austin Knudsen said. “I appreciate the work of our many law enforcement partners in making it convenient to drop off unwanted prescription drugs that might otherwise be abused or diverted.”
Towns hosting Take Back events include Anaconda, Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Gardiner, Great Falls, Hamilton, Helena, Lewistown, Libby, Lincoln, Red Lodge, Ronan, Shelby, Superior, Three Forks, Townsend, and Whitefish. To view the details of each event, click here. This site will be continuously updated with new participating locations up until the day of the event.
The following items cannot be accepted: Illegal drugs, chemotherapy drugs, needles, sharps, mercury (thermometers), oxygen containers, pressurized canisters, and radioactive substances. Montanans who can’t make it to a Take Back Day event, or who aren’t near one of the hosting towns, can dispose of their unwanted medications by visiting one of over 50 permanent drug drop box locations across the state.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a vital public health and safety issue. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives that same year. The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends – often from their medicine cabinets.
