Communities Nationwide Join DEA and its Partners to Safely Dispose of 571,000 pounds of Unwanted Medications
DEA Washington Division collected 25,646 pounds in 280 collection sites
WASHINGTON – On October 25, 2025, DEA joined 4,263 law enforcement agencies across the country who came together for the 29th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. At 4,317 collection sites nationwide, Take Back events removed 571,054 pounds of unneeded and expired medications from home medicine cabinets to prevent drug misuse before it starts.
Locally, the DEA Washington Division, which includes the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) collected 25,646 pounds between 280 locations.
Christopher C. Goumenis, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division, commented that “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our local law enforcement, government officials, and community partners for their remarkable commitment in establishing and managing collection sites during our recent Take Back Day. Together, we're saving lives and making significant strides toward safer, healthier communities for everyone. Take Back Day is truly about community collaboration. Safely discarding prescription meds is essential in preventing misuse and ensuring they don't end up in the wrong hands.”
Since its inception in 2010, DEA’s National Prescription Take Back Day has collected nearly 20,391,815 pounds (more than 10,000 tons) of medications to help prevent prescription drug misuse and reduce the potential for accidental overdoses and poisonings.
If you were unable to participate in this National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, there are nearly 16,500 pharmacies, hospitals, and businesses, in addition to many police departments, that offer safe medication disposal year-round. For information on permanent drop boxes, please visit DEA’s Every Day is Take Back Day page.
Complete results for DEA’s fall National Prescription Drug Take Back Day are available on DEA’s Take Back Day page.
