DEA collects more than 645,000 pounds of unwanted medications during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and more than 4,200 law enforcement partners collected 645,636 pounds of unused medications nationwide during the agency’s 31st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 24, according to the DEA.
The event included 4,212 collection sites across the country, including 64 tribal locations, as part of ongoing efforts to prevent prescription drug misuse and reduce the risk of accidental overdoses and poisonings.
Since the initiative began in 2010, the DEA has collected more than 21.6 million pounds of unused, unwanted and expired medications, equivalent to more than 10,840 tons. The program provides residents with an opportunity to safely dispose of prescription drugs that are no longer needed, helping prevent medications from being misused or accidentally ingested.
“Twice a year communities across the country come together for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day to help remove unused and unwanted medications from homes, reducing the risk of misuse, accidental poisonings, and overdoses,” said DEA Administrator Terry Cole. “The collection of more than 645,000 pounds of medications this fall reflects the continued commitment of the public and our law enforcement partners to keep families safe.”
Although National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is held twice annually, the DEA said residents do not have to wait for a designated collection event to dispose of unwanted medications.
More than 15,300 pharmacies, hospitals, businesses and police departments nationwide offer safe medication disposal options throughout the year. These permanent collection locations allow residents to properly discard unused or expired medications at their convenience.
The DEA encourages residents to regularly check their medicine cabinets and remove medications that are no longer needed to help reduce the potential for misuse, accidental poisonings and overdoses.
Residents can find permanent medication drop-off locations through the DEA’s Every Day is Take Back Day webpage.
Additional information and nationwide collection results from the October event are available on the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day website.
