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By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office
October 23, 2025 (San Diego) - The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office is urging people to check their homes and collect unused or expired prescription medications and turn them in on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
People can anonymously drop medication off at one of nine Sheriff’s locations, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and help prevent misuse, accidental poisoning and the risk of medications ending up in the wrong hands. No sharps or needles will be accepted. Other drop-off locations are available around the county.
Prescription drugs can include pills containing opioids like oxycodone, antibiotics, and other medicines which can be dangerous if they end up in illegal markets.
In 2024, 541 people died from opioid overdoses in San Diego County as can be referenced in an Overdose Surveillance Dashboard that pulls together data from across the county.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has a list of 31 locations around the county that are open this Saturday to drop off unwanted prescription medications including the following San Diego County Sheriff’s Offices:
- Alpine Sheriff’s Station – 2751 Alpine Boulevard, Alpine
- Encinitas Scripps Hospital – 354 Santa Fe Drive, Encinitas
- Fallbrook Sheriff’s Substation, 388 East Alvarado St., Fallbrook
- Imperial Beach Sheriff’s Substation – 845 Imperial Beach Boulevard, Imperial Beach
- Lakeside Sheriff’s Substation, 12365 Parkside St., Lakeside
- Ramona Sheriff’s Substation at Albertson’s, 1459 Main St., Ramona
- Rancho San Diego Sheriff’s Station, 11486 Campo Road, Spring Valley
- San Marcos Sheriff’s Station – 182 Santar Place, San Marcos
- Valley Center Sheriff’s Substation, 28201 N. Lake Wohlford Road, Valley Center
San Diego County offers more than 200 disposal locations open year-round. Check the DEA’s Every Day is Take Back Day website or County interactive map to find a disposal site near you.
Medications can’t just be thrown out or flushed; you need to dispose of them safely and responsibly so they don’t pollute streams or other bodies of water or get picked out of your trash.
Substance use treatment resources and support services are available by calling the local San Diego Access and Crisis Line at 888-724-7240 or 988.
These resources are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can provide help in over 150 languages.
In April of this year, the DEA held a National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and collected 310 tons of medications around the country.
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