Kinney Drugs Offers Free, Anonymous Medication Drop-Offs

Pharmacists aim to prevent accidental poisonings during National Poison Prevention Week

Mar. 17, 2026 at 8:07am

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Kinney Drugs, a pharmacy chain in New York and Vermont, is offering free and anonymous medication drop-off kiosks at all of its locations during National Poison Prevention Week. The goal is to prevent accidental poisonings, which can occur when someone takes medication prescribed for another person, a child gets into a medicine cabinet, or expired sterile products become contaminated. In 2024, over 2 million poisonings were reported to the National Poison Data System, with 80% being unintentional.

Why it matters

Accidental poisonings are a serious public health issue, with one poison exposure occurring every 15 seconds in the U.S. Kinney Drugs is trying to address this problem by making it easy for people to safely dispose of unwanted or expired medications, preventing them from falling into the wrong hands or contaminating the environment.

The details

Kinney Drugs has set up free, anonymous medication collection kiosks at all of its 95 stores across New York and Vermont. People can drop off unwanted or expired medications at these kiosks during regular pharmacy hours, without having to interact with law enforcement. The kiosks do not accept needles/sharps, illegal substances, or personal care/household products. Kinney Drugs is also encouraging people to take medications as directed, use pill organizers and reminders to avoid mix-ups, and contact their pharmacists if they have any questions.

  • National Poison Prevention Week is kicking off in 2026.
  • In 2024, over 2 million poisonings were reported to the National Poison Data System.

The players

Kinney Drugs

A chain of full-service drug stores located throughout New York and Vermont, and part of the KPH Healthcare Services family of companies.

Shannon Miller

Kinney Drugs Vice President of Healthcare Operations and a licensed pharmacist.

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What they’re saying

“Previously, law enforcement officials were required to sit in our stores to collect unwanted or expired medications. Now, we're seeing many more people using our free and anonymous kiosks.”

— Shannon Miller, Vice President of Healthcare Operations, Kinney Drugs (vermontbiz.com)

“Accidental poisonings happen every day but are actually highly preventable. If you have old prescriptions or OTC medications sitting at home, that's a risk. We want to help people safely get rid of them, so no one gets hurt.”

— Shannon Miller, Vice President of Healthcare Operations, Kinney Drugs (vermontbiz.com)

What’s next

If a child, teen, or adult may have been poisoned, Kinney Drugs encourages people to call Poison Control right away at 1-800-222-1222.

The takeaway

Kinney Drugs is taking proactive steps to address the serious public health issue of accidental poisonings by providing free and anonymous medication drop-off kiosks at all of its locations. This initiative aims to prevent medications from falling into the wrong hands or contaminating the environment, ultimately helping to keep communities safe.