(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Local law enforcement is partnering with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) this Saturday, Oct. 28, offering several locations across Southern Colorado for people to get rid of unwanted, unused, or expired medication.

Saturday is the DEA’s ‘Take Back Day,’ which began in 2010 and has helped to remove more than 17 million pounds of unnecessary medications from communities across the nation, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

“DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting,” according to the DEA’s website.

  • The DEA wants you to get rid of unneeded medications
    Courtesy: EPSO
  • The DEA wants you to get rid of unneeded medications
    Courtesy: PPD
  • The DEA wants you to get rid of unneeded medications
    Courtesy: PCSO

DETAILS: DEA Take Back Day in the Pikes Peak Region

  • Date: Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023
  • Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Four different locations:
    • Security Fire Department: 400 Security Boulevard
    • King Soopers: 7915 Constitution Avenue
    • CSPD Police Operations Center: 705 South Nevada Avenue
    • Memorial Hospital North: 4050 Briargate Parkway

DETAILS: DEA Take Back Day in Pueblo

  • Date: Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023
  • Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • One location:
    • Parking lot across the street from the Pueblo Municipal Justice Center: 200 South Main Street
According to the Pueblo Police Department (PPD), items that can not be accepted include:
  • Needles & Sharps
  • Mercury (thermometers)
  • Oxygen containers
  • Chemotherapy/Radioactive substances
  • Pressurized canisters
  • Illicit drugs

DETAILS: DEA Take Back Day in Pueblo County

  • Date: Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023
  • Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Three different locations:
    • Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office (West Substation): 320 South Joe Martinez Boulevard
    • Pueblo Rural Fire District: 29912 U.S. Highway 50 East
    • Valley Health Mart: 4493 Bent Brothers Boulevard

Citizens are encouraged to visit the location closest to them. “By properly disposing of these medications, you help ensure they do not fall into the wrong hands,” wrote EPSO.