Actually I am aware of some of the special disposal methods used by pharmacists, and was only joking about them dumping them down the drain. The point is that they are expected to be familiar with current procedures for proper disposal, and can make informed decisions about which materials can be tossed and which ones require special handling.
The point about "most medicines go down the drain anyway" is valid. The "byproduct" metabolites from medications are a concern both to environmentalists and epidemiologists. Partially metabolized antibiotics have been blamed for a couple of resistant organisms that have caused at least localized concern, and the "body waste" hormone residuals were cited in one "explanation" (not fully accepted?) for the mutant frogs.
Many places do have "toxic waste" disposal points; but they're seldom accessible easily enough to be as useful as they should for the disposal of quite a lot of "innocent" trash like paints, solvents, some aerosol products, mineral oil products, and batteries, all of which are dangerous when dumped in ordinary "sanitary waste" facilities.