where to safely discard medicine?

There's a drug dropoff bin in the PAMF pharmacy at their main PA facility. You might also check with other pharmacists.

If it's not terribly expired, there are also compassionate use drug programs where organizations check and repurpose medications. Many medications are good for years after expiration, though you don't want that kind of painkiller sitting around. Other medications I keep in very good conditions, so usually I just find out whether the drug just becomes less potent over time or degrades into something dangerous (a few, very few, do). Even then, most drugs are still good past their expirations. The military found most were good 15 years later. I'm not suggestion anyone used expired medications, and I wouldn't give them to family members -- but I myself have felt comfortable doing so (and am using something that expired several years ago right now and it's working fine). I am not a doctor, and a doctor will probably advise you not to do that, so you do so at your own risk. However, if the drugs are less than a year expired, there are programs that will take them and can use them.

@OP - there isn't anywhere to safely, legally dispose of controlled substances (which BTW are things like ADD drugs), when our child stop taking them, the alternatives required lots of paperwork, so we just ended up throwing them away mixed with coffee grounds (makes them hard to detect and sell...)

PAMF won't take controlled substances. And it would be illegal to donate them to be used by other patients. It sounds like I'll need to discard them with coffee grounds or other trash unless anyone has a better idea. Thanks.

Just flush them down the toilet.

Please do not put them down the drain.

Here is a better way to dispose of such drugs:

Web Link

This system evidently decomposes the drugs so that the container can then be safely discarded in the trash without risk of misuse or environmental damage.

Police and Sheriff's offices usually take unwanted prescription drugs, no questions asked. Also, PAMF has taken mine.
Ask your pharmacist for more sources.

PLEASE don't flush old drugs. Don't poison your/my water. I don't want to take everyone's meds (I have drug allergies) and I'm sure you and your kids don't want to take mine.

If people take the drugs themselves, they end up in the sewer. Then they get processed at the sewer plants and the sludge gets destroyed, along with the drugs. So why not dispose of the unused drugs down the drain?

@friend - Disposing of controlled substances is different than other prescription drugs, PAMF won't take them and neither would the PA police department.

"So why not dispose of the unused drugs down the drain?"

Because drugs which have been invested are metabolized in the body BEFORE they are excreted.

Note that the Drug Buster system linked to above accomplishes exactly the same thing in a jug so that you can then safely dispose of your drugs.

I have NO connection to or financial interest in this product:

"DRUGBUSTER® drug disposal system has been developed using simple earth friendly ingredients to closely replicate the human stomach function. The patented solution instantly breaks down unwanted medications to help in preventing drug abuse, diversion and poisoning.

DRUGBUSTER® drug disposal system also contains reactionary properties which prevents solution from being knowingly re-ingested. DRUGBUSTER® drug disposal system is effective for the great majority of medication forms including transdermal patches.

All federal, state and national guidelines require the contents be rendered undesirable and unusable. Please refer to your local regulations to ensure specific compliance. When product is added to DRUGBUSTER®s patented solution, medications start to dissolve instantly. The end result is a non-digestible liquid which may be disposed of similar to common home garbage."

Peter's Drug Buster suggestion reminded me that the medication would likely dissolve when encountering stomach acid if taken orally. Keeping this in mind, I dissolved the tablets in vinegar and disposed of them in the trash. This was much quicker and easier than looking for a place that would take them.

Get a standard size empty metal can. Put it on a non-flammable surface, like concrete. Start six charcoal briquets in your hibachi. Wrap the meds in a kleenex, tootsie roll (R) style. Put three burning briquets in the can. Drop in the wrapped meds. Add the rest of the briquets. Put can and ashes in recycle bin when cooled. Wash hands.

You can dispose of controlled substances at the hazardous waste event that the city of Palo Alto has on weekends.

[Portion removed.]

Here are PA's rules re hazardous waste days:

NOT Accepted
Electronic Waste
Large gas cylinders
Non-propane or butane gas cylinders
Radioactive wastes
Infectious waste (containing body tissues or fluids)
Controlled substances
Explosive wastes
Marine flares - contact the Coast Guard.
Fireworks - contact the Fire Department. Call (650) 329-2184.
Ammunition - contact the Police Department. Call (650) 329-2413