Grantham police host prescription drug take-back day April 25

Unused prescription drugs sitting in local medicine cabinets can become a real danger, and Grantham police are giving residents a simple way to clear them out before they are stolen, misused or taken by mistake.

The Grantham Police Department will host National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 300 Route 10 South. The town says the drop-off is free and discreet, with no questions asked, and it is meant to help residents safely dispose of expired, unused and unwanted medications before they turn into a household safety risk.

Police will accept only pills or patches. Liquids, needles and sharps will not be taken. That limit matters because the event is designed for the medications most likely to linger in homes after a prescription is finished, changed or no longer needed.

The local push comes during a broader public-safety effort. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says the 2026 event is the 30th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, with nearly 4,200 locations nationwide participating on April 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The agency says the program has removed more than 20 million pounds of unwanted medications from communities across the United States since 2010. Federal officials also note that opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and morphine are among the most misused prescription pain medications.

For Sullivan County, the message lands against an unsettling backdrop. A February 2026 New Hampshire Drug Monitoring Initiative report said Sullivan County had the highest suspected drug use resulting in overdose deaths per capita in the state in 2025, at 3.43 deaths per 10,000 population. The same report showed New Hampshire’s total overdose deaths fell from 417 in 2024 to 276 in 2025, as of Feb. 10, 2026, suggesting progress statewide even as the problem remains acute in some counties.

State and federal health officials have spent years warning that unused medications left at home can be diverted, misused or accidentally swallowed by children or pets. The take-back day turns that risk into a short errand: bring in the pills or patches, drop them off, and leave knowing they are out of the house. For Grantham and surrounding Sullivan County communities, that kind of prevention is now part of the front line of public safety.