DEA and partners collect a record amount of unwanted medications during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
Omaha Division collects nearly 17 tons of medications
OMAHA, Nebraska –The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) collected nearly a million pounds of unused, unwanted and expired medications at the 19th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day event, October 24. The nearly 500 ton total is the largest amount ever collected in the program’s 10 years of operation.
The DEA Omaha Division accounted for 33,460 pounds of medication collected from sites in Iowa (11,413 pounds), Minnesota (17,372 pounds), Nebraska (2,983 pounds) and South Dakota (1,692 pounds).
“We had a tremendous turnout at this year’s National Take Back Day event,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Richard Salter Jr., said. “I’d like to thank all of the state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies who partnered with DEA to make this year’s event such a success. Collectively, we removed nearly 17 tons of potentially dangerous medications from reaching the streets of our communities and out of the hands of potential abusers.”
In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, safe and secure drug disposal continues to be available at any of the 11,000 DEA authorized collectors throughout the year. For more information, visit: https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1.
Given the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency, DEA wants to ensure that the public is aware of other ways they can dispose of unwanted prescription drugs without having to leave their homes. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have tips on how to safely dispose of drugs at home.
