A Time to Cast Away Meds…
April 14, 2026The Byrds was one of my favorite bands growing up. I find much of their music fresh and timely today due in no small part to Roger McGuinn’s trademark jingle-jangle on the Rickenbacker twelve-string guitar. The Byrds’ version of Pete Seeger’s “Turn! Turn! Turn!” reached Number One on the Billboard charts in December 1965. Seeger took the lyrics, ascribed to King Solomon in the 10th Century B.C., mainly from the King James Bible, thereby giving the Byrds recording of the song the distinction of being the Number One Billboard hit with the oldest lyrics.
For those unfamiliar, the powerful song’s theme is that there is a season and a time for everything: a time to be born, a time to die; a time for war, a time for peace.
However, an updated version of the lyrics might include the timely line:
“A time to cast away meds, and a time to gather meds together.”
Which segues us lyrically to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (“DEA’s”) 30th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Unwanted and expired controlled prescription medication languishing in medicine cabinets are prime candidates for theft, misuse and abuse. DEA and its law enforcement partners will once again host about 4,200 local drop-off locations nationwide for safe disposal of unneeded medication on Saturday, April 25th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time.
DEA holds the ever-popular drug take back event each spring and autumn. Last October’s Take Back Day collected over 571,000 pounds, or 286 tons, of unneeded medication at 4,263 collection sites nationwide. DEA has collected over 20.3 million pounds, or 10,196 tons, of unneeded medication since 2010. Additional information about National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, including disposal locations, can be found here. DEA’s Diversion Control website also lists permanent year-round drug disposal locations and provides other disposal information.
So, in the spirit of an updated “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” we’ve gathered meds together, but now its time to cast them away.