Nebraska cuts funding for everyday drug take-back program, pharmacist association says

OMAHA, Neb. —

The state of Nebraska is cutting funding for the statewide everyday drug take-back program.

The Nebraska Pharmacists Association says nearly 280,000 pounds of medication have been disposed of through the program since it began in 2015.

It said the state's most recent budget allocated nearly $290,000 of funding for each of the next two years.

Pharmacists say you shouldn't throw away or flush expired and unused medications to avoid environmental contamination. But you also shouldn't keep expired or unused medications around because of the risk of accidents or abuse.

The NPA says that's why it's important to have year-round safe disposal options. The association tells KETV around 90 percent of customer-facing pharmacies in Nebraska participate.

But funding came to a surpri