Island County Sheriff Hosting Free Drug Take Back Day April 25

The Island County Sheriff's Office precinct in Freeland will collect unused and expired medications on Saturday, April 25, giving South Whidbey residents a free, no-questions-asked way to safely surrender prescription drugs they no longer need.

The collection runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 5521 East Harbor Road, Freeland, as part of the DEA's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The Island County Sheriff's Office is partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on the event, which coordinates simultaneous collection sites across the country on the same date.

Accepted items include tablets, capsules, and patches. Liquid medications may be dropped off only if they remain sealed in their original containers with caps tightly secured to prevent leakage. The site will not accept syringes or sharps, loose liquids, or illicit substances.

The Freeland location fills a real gap for communities across South Whidbey, where permanent pharmacy- or police-based drop boxes are not always easy to come by. Unused medications sitting in home medicine cabinets are a well-documented driver of accidental poisonings, prescription drug misuse, and diversion into illegal markets. Take Back events also offer a legally sound alternative to flushing pills, which risks introducing pharmaceuticals into septic systems and storm drains, or discarding them in household trash.

Since the DEA's national Take Back program launched, participating sites have collectively removed millions of pounds of medication from circulation. Island County's inclusion in the April 25 event connects Whidbey Island residents directly to that effort without requiring a trip off-island or a visit to a hospital pharmacy.

No appointment is needed; residents should bring their medications during the four-hour window. Those outside the South Whidbey area or looking for additional collection points can find a full list of participating sites at DEATakeBack.com.