DEA Teams up with more than 4,300 Partners to Remove Unneeded Prescription Medications from Communities
One-Day Event Removes more than 25,000 Pounds throughout the Rocky Mountain Division
Denver, CO. – On Oct. 29, 2022, communities across the country demonstrated their continued support for DEA’s bi-annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by safely disposing of more than 647,000 pounds of unneeded medications at nearly 5,000 collection sites across the country.
The Rocky Mountain Division collected just over 25,150 pounds of unneeded medications at nearly 190 sites across Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming.
- Utah – 11,582 pounds
- Colorado – 10,591 pounds
- Wyoming – 1,530 pounds
- Montana – 1,450 pounds
Since its inception in 2010, DEA’s National Prescription Take Back Day has removed almost 17 million pounds of medications from communities across the country.
“The Take Back campaign is part of DEA’s continued efforts to protect our communities and create healthier environments by offering the safe disposal of medications,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “We appreciate the community support we see during these events and encourage everyone to remove unneeded medications from their home.”
“A majority of people who misuse a prescription obtained that medication from a family member or friend,” said SAC Brian Besser. “Safely disposing of unneeded medication at least twice a year is one of the most important and immediate ways we can prevent medication misuse. We appreciate everyone who participated, including our partners who are instrumental in making these Take Back Day events a success.”
DEA continues to expand opportunities to make safe disposal of medications more accessible nationwide. DEA is pleased to announce it has registered a record number of authorized collectors – pharmacies and medical facilities – to collect unused and unwanted prescription drugs year-round. Since April 2017, DEA increased the number of authorized collectors from more than 2,200 to 15,000. A list of permanent drug-drop boxes located in communities across the country can be found here.
Safe medication disposal receptacles along with DEA Take Back events provide families easy, no-cost opportunities to get rid of unnecessary medicines stored in the home that can be susceptible to abuse and theft.
Complete results for DEA’s fall National Prescription Drug Take Back Day are available at www.DEATakeBack.com.
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