United States Drug Enforcement Administration

HOUSTON – DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day collected 829,543 pounds (419.7 tons) of unused, expired, and unwanted medications across the country.  The Houston Field Division collected 27,850 pounds of that grand total.  Americans once again showed their dedication toward helping prevent addiction and potential overdose by removing prescription pills from their homes.  Our April event included 4,425 community partners at 5,060 collection sites throughout the country.

“DEA’s biannual Take Back Day events are critical to helping reduce overdose deaths and alleviate addiction by safely disposing of prescription medications that sit idle in the home,” said DEA Acting Administrator D. Christopher Evans. “DEA is committed to providing a safe and secure method for the public to ride their homes of potentially dangerous drugs.”

“Prescription drugs that are left unused in medicine cabinets are often highly prone to misuse and abuse,” stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux.  “That’s why it was great to see so many people from our communities turning in their unused medications safely.  We remain committed to providing this vital service to remove these unused, expired or unwanted prescription medications and dispose of them safely.”  

DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, has now collected 14,524,391 pounds of medications since the inception of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative in 2010. On Oct. 24, 2020, the public turned in a record 985,392 pounds – almost 493 tons – of medication to DEA and 4,153 of its community partners at 4,587 collection sites nationwide, including 33 Bureau of Indian Affairs sites.

For those who could not make it to a Take Back location, DEA reminds the community that every day is Take Back Day with more than 11,000 year-round authorized collection sites across the country. For more information, visit: https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1.

DEA also encourages the public to reach out to their local law enforcement to find out if they have any permanent drug disposal locations throughout their local community.

Complete results for DEA’s April 2021 Take Back Day are available at www.deatakeback.com.

Photos and video from Take Back Day are available at https://flic.kr/s/aHsmVkw4ra.