DEA Holds 22nd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day to prevent addiction and reduce overdose deaths
DEA is making communities safer and healthier by helping the public safely dispose of unneeded controlled substances to reduce opioid addiction
EL PASO – 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.”
El Paso will have 10 locations, including El Paso DEA at 660 S. Mesa Hills Dr. Other El Paso partners include Texas DPS, UTEP, El Paso Police, El Paso County Sheriffs, Anthony PD, El Paso Water, EPISD, and more.
The greater Albuquerque area will also have 30 locations. For additional locations in the rest of New Mexico, and Midland and Alpine, Texas, visit DeaTakeBack.com. In October, the El Paso Division collected 5,474 pounds in their various locations in El Paso, Midland, Alpine, Las Cruces, Albuquerque and New Mexico Tribal Lands.
“DEA is committed to making our communities safer and healthier,” said Greg Millard, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement’s El Paso Division. “DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back reflects DEA’ commitment. We encourage everyone to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.”
Drug overdose deaths are up 16 percent in the last year, claiming more than 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 percent 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.
On Saturday, April 30, 2022, 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.
A location finder and partner toolbox are also available at www.DEATakeBack.com for easy reference to April 30 collection sites.
Year-round receptacles are available at more than 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.
###
