American Families Challenged to Tackle Prescription Drug Misuse

Free, Safe Medicine Disposal Locations Available Throughout the Nation

Millburn, NJ, Oct. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Saturday, November 14, 2026, communities throughout the United States will participate in the 18th Annual American Medicine Chest Challenge (AMCC) Day of Awareness of Prescription Drugs and Safe Disposal, a national public health initiative to increase understanding about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and encourage safe disposal of prescription drugs.

Safe disposal reduces access to unwanted medications that could be misused or accidentally swallowed by children. According to SAMHSA’s 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 42.3 percent of people age 12 or older who misused prescription pain relievers obtained the medicine they most recently misused from a friend or relative. Taking unused, unwanted and expired medications to a collection site removes them from the home, reducing opportunities for someone to take medicine that was not prescribed for them.

“Medicine safety deserves attention at every age,” Angelo M. Valente, CEO of AMCC and Executive Director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. “We encourage parents to talk with their children about prescription drug misuse and older adults to ask their healthcare providers questions about the medicines they take. Safely disposing of prescriptions that are no longer needed reduces the chance that a child will find them or someone else will take them. It’s a practical step families can take together.”

The five steps of AMCC include taking inventory of medicine; securing medicine chests; taking medicine only as prescribed; safely disposing of unused, unwanted and expired medicine; and, most importantly, talking to children about the dangers of prescription drugs.

Medicine safety conversations also need to include older adults. According to the CDC, in 2024, 8,195 Americans age 65 and older died from drug overdoses. Although overdose death rates declined across all age groups from 2023 to 2024, adults age 65 and older experienced the smallest decrease.

“Talking with children about prescription drug misuse remains essential, and older adults need to be part of these conversations, too,” Valente said. “Many older adults manage chronic pain and multiple prescriptions, making it especially important to discuss medicine safety with them.”

The American Medicine Chest Challenge is the home of the national registry of permanent collection sites where people can safely dispose of their unwanted, expired and unused medicine. Nearly 2,000 permanent drop-off locations exist in 47 states and Washington, D.C. To find a site, visit the newly updated AmericanMedicineChest.com.

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Lisa Batitto
Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey
973-467-2100
news@drugfreenj.org