DEA Announces 39,419 Pounds Of Prescription Drugs Collected During Take-Back Event

PHILADELPHIA - Special Agent in Charge Gary Tuggle of the Drug Enforcement Administration’(DEA) Philadelphia Division announced today that 39,418.87 pounds of prescription drugs were collected across Pennsylvania and Delaware during DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day event this past Saturday, October 22nd.     

A specific breakdown of amounts collected by regions across Pennsylvania, where a total of 33,360.17 pounds was collected, and Delaware, where a total of 6,058.70 pounds was collected, is listed below:

                                                Allentown, PA:           1,375.00 lbs.
                                                Dover, DE:                  2,646.30 lbs.
                                                Harrisburg, PA:          4,840.75 lbs.
                                                Philadelphia, PA:       17,054.42 lbs.
                                                Pittsburgh, PA:           7,961.00 lbs.
                                                Scranton, PA:             2,129.00 lbs.
                                                Wilmington, DE:        3,412.40 lbs.    

Amounts collected by the counties across the Philadelphia region, which are totaled above, are listed as follows: 

                                                Bucks County:                        8,413.13 lbs.
                                                Chester County:          1,356.00 lbs.
                                                Delaware County:       343.20 lbs.
                                                Montgomery County: 5,943.49 lbs.
                                                Philadelphia County:  998.60 lbs.

“The DEA has performed a tremendous lifesaving service by organizing the recent National Drug Take-Back Day to help get these prescription drugs off the streets,” said Gary Tennis, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. “In the midst of this worst-ever opioid epidemic, it’s absolutely critical that we all get unused drugs out of houses, and dispose of them safely in these take-back boxes.  Removing more than 39,000 pounds of prescription drugs means these opioids and other drugs cannot be diverted, misused, and lead to overdoses and deaths of Pennsylvanians.”

The DDAP sponsors over 500 permanent drug take-back boxes in Pennsylvania counties.  These boxes, which are usually located in municipal police stations, are free and generally available during weekday office hours.  “Pennsylvanians can deposit unwanted, expired, and unused opioids in them, no questions asked,” said Tennis. A list of permanent boxes is available by accessing the following link to DDAP’s website: https://apps.ddap.pa.gov/gethelpnow/PillDrop.aspx.

“In addition to our bi-annual National Take-Back events, these permanent drug take-back boxes are an integral part of the partnership between the DEA and DDAP to save lives across Pennsylvania,” said Tuggle.

For more information about the DEA’s Take-Back initiative, please contact DEA Public Information Officer/Special Agent Patrick J. Trainor at (215) 852-8740 or patrick.j.trainor@usdoj.gov.