DEA’s National Prescription Take Back Day, April 30, 2016 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, provides a safe, convenient, and environmentally responsible way of getting rid of prescription drugs. The event also educates communities about the potential for the abuse of medications.
Since 2010, DEA has sponsored 10 Take Back Days, collecting 2,750 tons, or five and one half million pounds of pills at over 5,000 collection sites that the DEA and its over 4,000 partners set up.
Prescription Take Back events are important because the non-medical use of prescription drugs is a serious problem in all communities. Over 6 and one half million people age 12 and older report abusing prescription drugs (National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2014); 249 million prescriptions were written in 2013–enough for every adult American to have a bottle of pills; and 78 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose, including prescription opioids and heroin (Centers for Disease Control).
Safely dispose of your unused and expired medications and help to reduce the threat of these drugs being abused by family members and friends. Find a collection site near you. This site will be continuously updated with new take-back locations.
To learn more about safe disposal of unused or expired medications, watch the video Safe Medication Disposal.