Just not controlled substances, sorry. Live Oak Pharmacy, a new pharmacy in downtown Austin, is leading the city’s first pharmaceutical take-back program.

Medication take-back programs seek to keep meds out of the trash and waterways by disposing of them safely. The Drug Take-Back Network says throwing away your prescriptions, “contributes to the contamination of surface waters, ground waters, and biosolids. The presence of pharmaceuticals has been linked to abnormalities and impaired reproductive performance in some aquatic species.”

That’s why Live Oak Pharmacy is launching their program on Earth Day, which is Thursday, April 22.

The pharmacy can’t accept controlled substances. According to this story by KUT’s Erika Aguilar, the pharmacy would have to work closely with law enforcement if they wanted to include pills like oxycontin and Xanax.

But advocates of these programs say those are some of the most important meds to dispose of properly – not just because they are toxic for landfills and pipes, but for people, too. The Drug Take-Back Network says:

Nearly 60 percent of people ages 12 and older obtain prescription painkillers for free through friends or family. This behavior poses a serious public health problem and is contributing to the steady uptick in poison-related deaths in the United States. In 2004, 20,950 people died of drug poisoning.

A study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America of seventh through twelfth graders found that 40 percent of respondents believe using prescription drugs is safer than using illegal drugs. In addition, 29 percent think that pain relievers are not addictive, and 62 percent of teens who abuse prescription pain relievers said they do so because they are easily accessible through parents’ medicine cabinets. The second most common type of drug abuse after marijuana was prescription drugs. Five of the six drugs most frequently abused by twelfth graders were prescription drugs or cough and cold medicines, as found in a 2006 study.

What can you take to Live Oak Pharmacy? Over-the-counter pain meds like Advil, birth control pills, cholesterol meds, allergy meds, etc. Check out their Web site for more info.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is meeting April 22 to discuss the possibility of a statewide drug take-back program. Click here for more info.