On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Montanans can bring their unwanted prescription medications for no-questions-asked disposal at one of 17 participating collections sites across the state.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in Montana is sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Montana Department of Justice, and local and tribal law enforcement agencies.

“Now more than ever, it’s important for each of us to properly dispose of outdated or unneeded medications and help prevent prescription drug abuse and theft,” Attorney General Tim Fox said. “I appreciate the continued support of our many law enforcement partners during the COVID-19 pandemic in making it convenient for Montanans to drop off unwanted prescription drugs that might otherwise be diverted or abused.”

Towns hosting Take Back events include Billings, Bozeman, Browning, Columbus, Cut Bank, Gardiner, Glendive, Helena, Lewistown, Libby, Lincoln, Red Lodge, Superior, Thomson Falls, and Whitefish.  

In Whitefish, medications can be dropped off at the Whitefish Police Department, and in Libby at the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

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 many permanent drug drop box locations across the state.  Additionally, thanks to collaboration among Google, the Montana Department of Justice, and the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, smart phone users can search for permanent box locations by typing "medication disposal near me" into Google Search or Google Maps on their device.  For smart phone users who don't have the Google Maps app installed, they can access the locations by navigating to google.com/maps in their browser and using the same search term.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.  Nationwide, a total of 882,919 pounds, or 441 tons, were brought to 4,896 collection sites last October.  Over 42,240 pounds of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications have been collected at Montana National Take Back Day events since 2010.