United States Drug Enforcement Administration

PHOENIX – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Phoenix Field Division, which serves the State of Arizona, will host its 22nd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this  Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This bi-annual event offers free, anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide.

Last October, residents of Arizona turned in 9,032 pounds, which is 4.5 tons!  This Saturday, is another opportunity for Arizona residents to dispose of unwanted, unused and expired medication at one of the 82 collection sites throughout the State of Arizona.

The event will accept tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illicit drugs will not be accepted. DEA will accept vaping devices and cartridges provided lithium batteries are removed.

A location finder and partner toolbox are available at www.DEATakeBack.com for easy reference to April 30 collection sites.

“Cleaning out our medicine cabinets is a way we can all work together to save lives and turn the U.S. opioid epidemic around,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Cheri Oz. “Please join us this Saturday by dropping off your unused medications at one of the 82 collection sites in our great State of Arizona.”

Drug overdose deaths are up 16 percent in the last year, claiming more than 290 lives every day.  According to a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a majority of people who misused a prescription medication obtained the medicine from a family member or friend.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the United States, more than 106,000 people died as the result of a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending November 2021, marking the most drug-related deaths ever recorded, with opioid-related deaths accounting for 75 percent of all overdose deaths.

For more than a decade, DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has helped Americans easily rid their homes of unneeded medications—those that are old, unwanted, or no longer needed—that too often become a gateway to addiction. Working in close partnership with local law enforcement, Take Back Day has removed more than 15 million pounds of medication from circulation since its inception. These efforts are directly in line with DEA’s priority to combat the overdose epidemic in the United States.

Year-round receptacles are available at more than 13,000 pharmacies, hospitals, police departments, and business. Additionally, with the passage of the DUMP Opioids Act in 2021, the public may now use drop boxes at Veterans Administration medical centers to dispose of controlled substance prescription medications. Check with your local VA health facility for more information.  With more than 13,000 year-round drop-off locations in the United States, every day can be Take Back day.