Snohomish County Partnership for Secure Medicine Disposal Program
Got Drugs?
Turn in your unused or expired medication for safe disposal from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily in the Lynnwood Police Department main lobby at 19321 44th Ave. W. In Lynnwood.
YES:Items Accepted |
NO:Items Not Accepted |
| Prescription Medicines: Law enforcement locations can accept all medicines. Pharmacies can accept most medicines except for controlled substances. | NO: Pharmacies cannot accept prescription medicines that are controlled substances. Dispose of these at a law enforcement take-back locations. |
| Over-the-Counter medicines | NO: Needles/Lancets/Syringes/Used EpiPens |
| Vitamins | NO: thermometers |
| Pet Medicines | NO: Aerosol cans |
| Medicated ointments and lotions | NO: Empty containers |
| Inhalers | NO: Bloody or infectious waste/IV Bags |
| Liquid medicines in glass or leak-proof containers (up to 12 oz.) | NO: Personal care products (non-medicated shampoo, etc.) |
| Medicine samples | NO: Hydrogen Peroxide/other chemicals |
| Inhalers | NO: Business waste or Radioactive Material |
Along with a variety of environmental problems with disposing of drugs there are also serious safety issues. According to the Medicine Take Back Network, unused medication in the household may contribute to growing rates of prescription drug abuse among Americans, particularly teenagers. Many teens erroneously believe that it is safer to use prescription drugs than street drugs, and they report that these drugs are easier to obtain than street drugs. Nearly 60 percent of people ages 12 and older obtain prescription painkillers for free through friends or family. This behavior poses a serious public health problem and is contributing to the steady uptick in poison-related deaths in the United States. Every day 44 people died of drug poisoning.
A study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America of seventh through 12th graders found that 40 percent of respondents believe using 
prescription drugs are safer than using illegal drugs. In addition, 29 percent think that pain relievers are not addictive, and 62 percent of teens who abuse prescription pain relievers said they do so because they are easily accessible through parents’ medicine cabinets. Five of the six drugs most frequently abused by 12th graders were prescription drugs or cough and cold medicines, as found in a 2006 study.
For all Drug Take Back Locations go to: Medicine Take Back Program
