More than 700,000 Pounds Collected at DEA Drug Take Back Day
Arizona Residents Turned in Over 8,000 Pounds
PHOENIX – On April 30th, 2022, the DEA Phoenix Field Division, along with our law enforcement and community partners collected 8,215 pounds of unneeded prescription medications throughout the State of Arizona, as part of DEA’s on-going commitment to prevent addition and reduce overdose deaths. Nationwide, more than 720,000 pounds of unneeded medications at 5,144 collection sites. Since 2010, DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, has collected nearly 16 million pounds of unneeded prescription medications.
“Thank you Arizona, for participating in the DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and saving lives,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Cheri Oz. “There are hundreds of year-round drop off locations throughout the great State of Arizona. By working together, we can make a difference.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the United States, over 107,000 people died as the result of a drug overdose last year. This figure means that someone in the United States is dying of a drug overdose every 5 minutes.
Take Back Day events provide easy, no-cost opportunities to dispose of medicines stored in the home that are susceptible to abuse and theft. There are many permanent drug-drop boxes located in communities across the country. A list of permanent locations can be found here.
Complete results for DEA’s spring National Prescription Drug Take Back Day are available at www.DEATakeBack.com. DEA’s next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is scheduled for October 29th, 2022.
