DEA announces 16th National Drug Take Back
Event will take place throughout Arizona from 10 a.m. -2 p.m. on Saturday, October 27th
PHOENIX - DEA announced the 16th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will take place October 27th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. Sites will be set up throughout communities nationwide so local residents can anonymously return their unwanted, unneeded or expired prescription drugs for safe disposal. (DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps.)
Arizona’s collection sites are listed at www.DEATakeBack.gov, with new locations added regularly. Currently, more than 57 state, local, and tribal police departments are providing 86 collection points state-wide, an increase over the previous year. Nationally, more than 5,400 sites supported by 4,400 law enforcement partners across the country will be collecting unused medications.
“The DEA will is working with communities across the state to combat the opioid epidemic and target the cartels profiting from the weakness of others, but we must begin with reducing the supply of excess prescription drugs by participating in DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back,” said Special Agent in Charge of the DEA in Arizona Doug Coleman.
The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarming, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Many abused prescription drugs are obtained through family and friends, as well as from the home medicine cabinet. Some 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.
Cumulatively in Arizona, more than 144,885 pounds, or more than 72 tons, have been collected since the inception of the program. Nationally, DEA has collected more than 9.9 million pounds since 2010.
