United States Drug Enforcement Administration

CHICAGO – The Drug Enforcement Administration will host its 22nd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This bi-annual event offers free, anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide.

“Disposing of unneeded medications can help prevent drugs from being misused,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “Overdose deaths continue to hit tragic record highs. I encourage everyone to dispose of unneeded prescription medications now.”

On Saturday, April 30, DEA and its law enforcement partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illicit drugs will not be accepted. DEA will accept vaping devices and cartridges provided lithium batteries are removed. Nearly 105,000 pounds of unneeded medications were turned in to drop-off locations throughout Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin during the previous National Prescription Drug Back Day in October 2021.

“The success of DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events is not possible without working together with our local law enforcement partners and healthcare providers,” said Robert J. Bell, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Chicago Division. “The large amounts of unwanted prescription drugs collected on Take Back Day each year reflect our shared commitment to the safety and health of our communities.”

Drug overdose deaths are up 16% in the last year, claiming over 290 lives every day.  According to a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a majority of people who misused a prescription medication obtained the medicine from a family member or friend.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the United States, more than 106,000 people died as the result of a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending November 2021, marking the most drug-related deaths ever recorded, with opioid-related deaths accounting for 75% of all overdose deaths.

For more than a decade, DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has helped Americans easily rid their homes of unneeded medications—those that are old, unwanted, or no longer needed—that too often become a gateway to addiction. Working in close partnership with local law enforcement, Take Back Day has removed more than 15 million pounds of medication from circulation since its inception. These efforts are directly in line with DEA’s priority to combat the overdose epidemic in the United States.

A location finder and partner toolbox are available at www.DEATakeBack.com for easy reference to April 30 collection sites.

Year-round receptacles are available at over 13,000 pharmacies, hospitals, police departments, and business. Additionally, with the passage of the DUMP Opioids Act in 2021, the public may now use drop boxes at Veterans Administration medical centers to dispose of controlled substance prescription medications. Check with your local VA health facility for more information.  With more than 13,000 year-round drop-off locations in the United States, every day can be Take Back Day.