Walgreens announced this week it has collected and disposed of more than 885 tons of medication collected through its disposal kiosk program since it launched in 2016. And thanks to a 2018 Senate bill, Missouri is able to participate in the program designed to combat the opioid epidemic.
Missouri was the 46th state — out of 46 — to jump into Walgreen’s program.
The company did not track just how much of the collected medication came from the Show-Me State, but Missouri did participate. There are 14 Walgreens stores across the state with a disposal kiosk.
- Arnold — 3937 Vogel Road
- Bridgeton — 12345 Saint Charles Rock Road
- Cape Girardeau — 1 S. Kingshighway Street
- Jefferson City — 2002 Missouri Boulevard
- Kansas City — 3845 Broadway Street
- Kansas City — 2630 NE Vivion Road
- Kirkwood — 441 N. Kirkwood Road
- Richmond Heights — 6733 Clayton Road
- St. Louis — 3920 Hampton Avenue
- St. Louis — 12098 Lusher Road
- Springfield — 2640 E. Sunshine Street
- Springfield — 2951 S. Campbell Avenue
- Washington — 890 Washington Corners
- Wentzville — 1993 Wentzville Parkway
Another tool in the fight against the opioid crisis: @Walgreens new drug take back program coming to Missouri. Convenient drop off locations help prevent Rx abuse. #MissouriForward pic.twitter.com/YT3GmAnXLq
— Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) December 11, 2018
“We are proud to be the leader in making ‘drug take back day’ available every day, just as we are grateful to the organizations across the health care community who have joined us to address the opioid epidemic,” Rick Gates, senior vice president of pharmacy and health care with Walgreens, said in a statement.
In June 2018, SB 826 from Republican Sen. David Sater was signed into law. It allowed Drug Enforcement Agency-authorized collectors to accept controlled substances for disposal.
Walgreens began placing its disposal kiosks in Missouri in December 2018.
Missourians who do not live near one of the 14 participating stores can still use Walgreens to dispose of unwanted medication. All of the chain’s pharmacies can provide free disposal options.
Last month, the Missouri Board of Pharmacy opened applications for law enforcement agencies, hospitals, and other clinics wishing to collect and send unwanted medication to a Texas-based waste management company contracted by the state.
The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Oct. 26.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.