United States Drug Enforcement Administration

DENVER, CO. - The United States Drug Enforcement (DEA) today announced the overwhelmingly successful results of the second national prescription drug “Take-Back” campaign in the states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana. The American public turned in more than 22,000 lbs. of prescription drugs for safe and proper disposal in those states. According to Denver Division of the DEA, the results of their four-state region “Take-Back” efforts are as follows:

Colorado - 14,114 pounds of prescription drugs collected
Utah - 6,552 pounds of prescription drugs collected
Montana - 1,649 pounds of prescription drugs collected
Wyoming - 769 pounds of prescription drugs collected

“The Prescription Drug Take-Back program allowed the public to dispose of unused medications safely,” said Kevin R. Merrill, DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge. “Our citizens who participated in this national event may have saved the life of a loved one. We should all be grateful for their participation, as well as the participation of our event partners who worked Saturday in service to our communities.”

Many Americans are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away - both potential safety and health hazards.

For additional information pertaining to DEA and prescription drug abuse, visit www.dea.gov.