April 24. To help ensure the safe disposal of unused medications, Novant Health is encouraging members of the community to spring clean their medicine cabinets.

You can take your expired or unused medications to Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center, 10030 Gilead Rd., Huntersville.

Novant Health installed medication take back containers in its hospital lobbies as part of its sustainability goals and initiatives.

Anyone in the community may use the containers free of charge to dispose of unused, unwanted or expired prescription and/or over-the-counter medications.

Why get them out of the house

Prescription drugs are the second most common type of illicitly used drugs, only behind marijuana. According to the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.3 million people over age 12 reported misusing a prescription pain reliever in the prior year, with just under half of respondents reporting they received the medication from a friend or relative.

Prescription pain relievers are not the only risk, however, with 5.1 million people reporting misuse of prescription stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin in the past year in the past year, and another 4.8 million people reporting benzodiazepine misuse.

Throwing out or flushing medications can have unwanted environmental impacts.

Sunday, April 23, was National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.