Kathy Stewart, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – On Saturday, people across the metro region and the country did some spring cleaning. They cleaned out their medicine cabinets and got rid of old prescription drugs in a safe way.

The fourth “Prescription Drug Take Back Day” was held at 4,600 sites nationwide.

One of those was the Washington Metropolitan Police Department’s second district in Northwest. An elderly man was dropping off a grocery bag full of old prescriptions was greeted with a “Good Morning” by two Howard University students who attend the school’s college of Pharmacy. The students would take the bags of old prescriptions and dump them into several large collection boxes.

“Wonderful, it cleaned out the medicine chest in my house,” says another woman who was dropping off old drugs.

Al Campos, who lives in the District, says, “It’s great so I don’t have to dump down my sink or toilet.”

The Take Back Day helps keep drugs out the water supply and helps to combat prescription drug abuse.

A 2010 national survey on drug use and health showed that more Americans are abusing prescription drugs than those who use cocaine, heroin and hallucinogens combined.

Andrea Rosen, of Chevy Chase, dropped off several years worth of medications. She asked where the collected drugs are disposed.

The Drug Enforcement Administration says the collected drugs are incinerated at EPA facilities nationwide. During the three previous Take Back Days, almost 500-tons of prescriptions drugs were collected. The first Take Back Day was held in September 2010.

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