United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SAN DIEGO - The final tally is in from the 12th National Prescription Take-Back Day which took place Saturday, October 22, and DEA and its partners took back nearly 8,000 pounds of prescription drugs at 39 locations in San Diego County and four in Imperial County.  

Over the course of four hours, 7,987.8 pounds or almost 4 tons of drugs were turned in, with San Diego citizens turning in 7,572.5 pounds, and Imperial County citizens turning in 415.3 pounds of prescription drugs.

Collection sites nationwide resulted in the public turning in 731,269 pounds-almost 366 tons-of medication to DEA and the more than 4,000 of its community partners at almost 5,200 collection sites last Saturday. Over the life of the program, 7.1 million (more than 3,500 tons) of prescription drugs have been removed from medicine cabinets, kitchen drawers, and nightstands by citizens around the country.

“We are pleased that Southern Californians are motivated and continue to make their homes safer for our youth,” says DEA San Diego Special Agent-in-Charge William R. Sherman. “In addition, citizens can now take advantage of permanent drop off boxes at over 38 locations in San Diego County, including in stations of the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, the San Diego Police Department, Oceanside Police Department, Escondido Police Department, Carlsbad Police Department, Coronado Police Department, and the Chula Vista Police Department. We thank all our law enforcement partners in this effort.”    

Other participants include the San Diego County Sheriff’s; La Mesa Police Department; El Cajon Police Department; Chula Vista Police Department; Carlsbad Police Department; Oceanside Police Department; Coronado Police Department; Escondido Police Department; Rx Drug Abuse Task Force; the SDSU Police Department; Veterans Administration Police; San Diego County District Attorney’s Office; U.S. Attorney’s Office; the San Diego SD County Probation Office; the California Department of Justice, Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force; HIDTA Imperial-San Diego; California Border Alliance Group; San Diego Police Department; United States Marine Corps; the  United States Navy; San Diego Community College Police Department; The Office of the San Diego County Supervisor; San Diego County Health and Human Services; Californians for Drug Free Youth; San Diego County Prevention Coalitions; Calexico Police Department; Imperial County Police Department; El Centro Police Department; Brawley Police Department; Calipatria Police Department; California Highway Patrol; Imperial County Sheriff’s Office; Imperial County Office of Education and other partners. 

For more information about prescription drug abuse, please visit www.dea.gov or to find out where the  CPD collection sites nearest you for drug disposal between Take Back Days, please go to https://apps.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1, or towww.rxdrugdropbox.org.