CAMP FOSTER, Japan - U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa and the Provost Marshal’s Office, Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Marine Corps Installations Pacific, plan to host a medication take back day Nov. 17 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Camp Foster exchange and commissary.
The take back day is designed to provide status of forces agreement personnel an opportunity to properly discard their medication. Additionally, the day is used to raise awareness of the potential for prescription drug abuse and the environmental damages of improper medication disposal.
“Since pharmacies and hospitals cannot accept unwanted controlled medications or narcotics from patients, the pharmacy has coordinated take back days with the Provost Marshal’s Office where patients can bring back medication they no longer need,” said Navy Lt. Hao Xie, the officer in charge of the pharmacy department at USNH Okinawa.
The two locations were selected to allow people to easily drop their medication off while they are shopping.
“We collected approximately 250,000 doses of unused medication, weighing 100 pounds, during our last event in July,” said Xie. “We are expecting even more participation this time.
“This event addresses a vital public safety and health issue. Unused medicines are highly susceptible to misuse and abuse. There has been recent secretary of defense guidance put out on stricter urinalysis that also prohibits (service members) from taking old, controlled narcotics or medications outside of their prescribed time period.”
“Having take back days on (Okinawa) will ensure we dispose of medications properly and will help with keeping our Marines and sailors out of trouble,” added Xie.
While the take back day Nov. 17 will only be held on Foster, there are plans to hold similar events quarterly on other bases so anyone who has unwanted or unused medication will have a chance to conveniently dispose of it properly.
“These drop off spots provide a means to keep expired or unused medication from piling up in service members’ houses,” said Capt. Daniel J. Burton, the operations officer for PMO. “It is important for the safety of service members and their families, that there is a way to safely dispose of controlled medications and narcotics.”
The take back day is also a way to show the government of Japan and local citizens that the U.S. military is committed to acting responsibly, according to Xie. Improper disposal of unused or expired medicine, often in the form of flushing it down the toilet or throwing it away, can pose both safety and environmental hazards.