DEA Offers Safe Drug Disposal

Saturday, April 28, 2012 has been designated Drug Take-Back Day by the Drug Enforcement Agency. The DEA regularly schedules these National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days so that anyone who has accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs can safely dispose of those medications.

Americans who participated in the DEA’s third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on October 29, 2011, turned in more than 377,086 pounds (188.5 tons) of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal at 5,327 take-back sites across the US. When the results of the three prior Take-Back Days are combined, the DEA, and its state, local, and tribal law-enforcement and community partners have removed 995,185 pounds (498.5 tons) of medication from circulation in the past 13 months.

“The amount of prescription drugs turned in by the American public during the past three Take-Back Day events speaks volumes about the need to develop a convenient way to rid homes of unwanted or expired prescription drugs,” DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart said. “DEA remains hard at work to establish just such a drug disposal process, and will continue to offer take-back opportunities until the proper regulations are in place.”

Safe drug disposal continues to be a problem because medications are often flushed down toilets, sending them into the water supply, or thrown in the trash, which lands them in a local landfill where they can still be accessed and misused.

This latest DEA Take-Back event will take place from 10 am to 2 pm at thousands of sites around the country. To find a site near you or for more information, visit dea.gov or call 800-882-9539.

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