National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Results in DEA and Partners Collecting Hundreds of Thousands of Pounds of Unneeded Medications in an Effort to Prevent Addiction and Reduce Overdose Deaths
MIAMI – On April 30, 2022, communities across the country demonstrated their support for DEA’s annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by dropping off 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.
“National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is an important part of DEA’s efforts to fight the overdose epidemic and save lives,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “I encourage everyone across the country to dispose of unneeded medications throughout the year to help keep our communities safe and healthy.”
The Miami Field Division collected 27,847 pounds of expired, unused, and unwanted medications from 202 collections sites throughout the state of Florida.
“The continued success of DEA’s National Prescription Take Back Day is a direct result of the collaboration with our state and local law enforcement and public health partners along with the dedication of our Florida communities to safely dispose of their unused and expired prescription and over-the-counter medications,” said Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne Reuter. “Thank you to everyone who supported this April’s event, and I encourage all Floridians to take advantage of the year-round disposal sites to eliminate the risk of these medications ending up in the wrong hands.”
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 29, 2022.
If you are aware of controlled substance violations in your community, please submit your anonymous tip through the DEA online Tip Line at Submit a Tip | DEA.gov. Concerns about prescription drug abuse or diversion can be reported to the DEA through this link: RX Abuse Online Reporting (usdoj.gov).
Follow DEA Miami via Twitter at @DEAMIAMIDIV.