Mission Bay High School students recently clued Pacific Beach Town Council in on their project to create permanent, year-round drop boxes countywide for the safe disposal of expired and unwanted prescription pills.

At PBTC’s April 19 meeting, the Youth Advocates Club of MBHS, in conjunction with National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 22, told the council members of its plans to establish a few dozen locations around San Diego County. The new boxes are in pharmacies and public buildings.

Students talked to PBTC, distributed magnets, and explained the importance of removing old prescription pills. Their campaign continued afterward with their passing out magnets on Take Back Day, as well as with events on campus at Mission Bay High.

Youth Advocates Club members also pointed out there are no Take Back Day sites in PB, noting residents’ only current option is using permanent drop boxes at pharmacies. To help people find new drop boxes providing a safe way to dispose of unwanted prescription medications, Youth Advocates Club members passed out magnets with QR codes.

Youth Advocates Club president Khouri Evans, a senior, explained how the drop-box system works. “The magnets have a QR code on them that links to a map showing all the permanent drop boxes around San Diego, including two in PB,” she said. You don’t have to wait for the next Take Back Day.  You can get rid of your old medications all year long.”

“Whether you put your old pills in a drop box or bring them to a Take Back Day, it’s a way to prevent opioid addiction from starting in the first place,” continued Evans adding, “Most people, especially here in the beach area, care about the environment. We don’t want to pollute the ocean by flushing pills down the drain.”

In San Diego County, prescription drugs contributed to 912 deaths in 2021. Nearly 3,000 pounds of old meds were turned in at local Take Back Day sites in October of that year. A survey showed nine out of 10 San Diegans would use drop boxes in pharmacies to get rid of their old meds.

In using the QR codes on magnets, San Diegans can type their zip code into the interactive map provided to find nearby drop boxes in stores, pharmacies, and public buildings. That means people don’t have to wait for the next Take Back Day to dispose of their pills that are expired, unwanted, or no longer needed.

DEA San Diego Field Office teams up with more than 4,300 partners annually to remove unneeded prescription medications from communities. San Diego County Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force’s 2022 Report Card can be viewed at sdpdatf.org/annual-report-cards.

MISSION BAY YOUTH ADVOCATES

The Mission Bay High School club, which started in 2019, does leadership development and youth substance abuse prevention. Take Back Day factoids:

• Take Back Days are held twice a year.
• There were 21 Take Back locations around the county on April 22.
• There aren’t any take-back locations in PB, but there are drop boxes at the two CVS pharmacies there.
• Students designed magnets that link to a map where people can find a drop box in their own neighborhood.
• Getting rid of old medication prevents accidental poisonings as well as opioid abuse.
• Medicine that is flushed down the drain ends up in the ocean.
• Meds tossed in the trash eventually go into a landfill, where they can seep into the groundwater.