United States Drug Enforcement Administration

CHICAGO – Motivated community members within Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois deposited an impressive 109,484 pounds of unwanted or expired prescription drugs for safe disposal on Saturday, April 27, at the DEA's 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

DEA launched its take back initiative when both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration advised the public that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—posed potential safety and health hazards.

The majority of prescription drug abusers say they get their drugs free from friends and family, including from the home medicine cabinets. Providing individuals with a secure and convenient way to dispose of medications helps address the prescription drug abuse epidemic that plagues our country. 

“This 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day would not have been as lucrative without the participation of the law enforcement and community partners who helped make this the highest-ever numbers for both partner and collection sites,” said DEA Chicago Division Special Agent in Charge Brian M. McKnight. “We are grateful for each and every dedicated member of our community who contributed to the collection total of over 109,000 pounds of prescription medications among Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois combined. These efforts are instrumental in helping make our community a safer place for all. We look forward to seeing you again in October!”

Helping people to dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs is just one way DEA is working to reduce the addiction and overdose deaths plaguing this country due to opioid medications.

Complete results for DEA’s spring Take Back Day are available at www.DEATakeBack.com. Video of DEA’s Take Back Day collections being weighed and destroyed is available at https://youtu.be/5y_LCuJvWRs.

DEA’s next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is October 26, 2019.

# # #