Sunapee Safety Services to Host DEA Drug Take Back Day April 25

Sunapee Safety Services will serve as a collection site for the Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 25, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., giving residents a free and anonymous way to clear unused prescriptions from their medicine cabinets.

The Sunapee Police Department, coordinating the local effort in partnership with the DEA, posted an advisory on March 25 encouraging townspeople to bring tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of medication for safe disposal. The collection is entirely anonymous: no identification, no paperwork, and no record of what is turned in.

Not everything qualifies. Liquids and syringes are generally not accepted at DEA collection events. Anyone unsure whether a specific item is eligible should review the Sunapee Police Department's guidance on the town website before heading over on April 25.

The practical case for events like this is direct: unused prescription medications left in kitchen drawers or bathroom cabinets are a documented pathway to harm, whether through accidental ingestion by children, mix-ups by older adults managing multiple prescriptions, or diversion to someone the medication was never prescribed to. Sullivan County and surrounding communities have not been insulated from the opioid-related harms that have affected rural New Hampshire over the past decade, and municipal take-back days are among the evidence-based interventions public health officials recommend to reduce that risk at the household level.

For families in Sunapee and neighboring towns who have accumulated expired or leftover medication, the April 25 window is as low-barrier as it gets: drive to Sunapee Safety Services, hand over the pills, and leave. No appointment, no fee, no explanation required.

Residents unable to make the four-hour window can contact the Sunapee Police Department directly for information on other safe disposal options available in the area.