Drug Take-Back Day this Saturday

MAT-SU—Turn in your unused or expired medications this Sat., Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fred Meyer in Palmer or Wasilla and at the Talkeetna Sunshine Clinic as part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The effort is aimed at preventing abuse of prescription drugs and at reducing the disposal into our water systems.

Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska State Troopers, Palmer Police Department are participating in the event sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It is the third National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

Last April, residents in the MAT-SU Borough turned in 157 pounds of prescription drugs to authorities that dispose of the medications properly. The breakdown was: Palmer 65 pounds, Talkeetna 24 pounds, Wasilla 68 pounds. Alaska overall turned in 1,603 pounds.

Bring your medications for disposal to Wasilla Fred Meyer at 1501 E. Parks Hwy. Palmer Fred Meyer at 650 S. Cobb Street, or Talkeetna’s Sunshine Community Health Center at 34300 S. Talkeetna Spur Road.  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information on the local take-back events, please call Ali Little at the MAT-SU Borough at 745-9557 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.