Over 5,700 Pounds of Unused Medications Collected from Arizona Communities
PHOENIX, Ariz. - DEA and its local law enforcement partners collected 5,702 pounds of unused medications in Arizona during the 26th National Drug Take Back Day on April 27, 2024. This is an increase from last October of 5,414 pounds collected.
Nationwide, 670,136 pounds of unused medications were turned in at close to 5,000 collection sites. Since the program’s inception in 2010, National Prescription Take Back Day has removed more than 18.6 million pounds of unneeded medications from communities across the country.
According to a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a majority of people who use prescription medication for a nonmedical purpose obtained that medication from a family member or friend.
DEA continues to expand opportunities to make safe disposal of medications more accessible nationwide. Beyond DEA’s Take Back Day, the community can regularly and safely dispose of unneeded medications at close to 17,000 pharmacies, hospitals, and businesses, working to help clean out medicine cabinets throughout the year. Those locations can be found here. In addition, many police departments provide year-round drop boxes.
Complete results for DEA’s spring National Prescription Drug Take Back Day are available at Take Back Day (dea.gov).
