This spring, six locations across the State of Michigan participated in drug take-back events. The free, no-questions-asked chance to dispose of opioids and other unneeded medicines out of the house took place in Ann Arbor, Jackson, Saginaw, Traverse City, Escanaba and Pontiac.
The results of the combined events were significant, bringing in close to 600 people dropping off 421 pounds of pills. The oldest pain medication returned was from 1976 and more than 15,000 opioids across all of the events were collected. The most common reason for people to have excess medications was from surgery.
Local health organizations and Michigan Medicine’s Department of Anesthesiology sponsored the take-back events, which were organized through a U-M initiative funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
