DEA And Partners Hold Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday
Thousands of communities participate in this weekend’s event
NORTH TEXAS and Okla. - DEA reprises this weekend one of its most popular community programs: National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. On Saturday October 22 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. the public can dispose of their unused, unwanted prescription medications at one of 4,700 collection sites nationwide, operated by 3,800 local law enforcement agencies and other community partners. The service is free of charge, no questions asked.
DEA Dallas Special Agent in Charge, Clyde E. Shelley, Jr., stated, “We are very excited about the NTBI XII. It is a good feeling to know that our communities in North Texas and all of Oklahoma are cleaning out their cabinets of unused prescription drugs. It is another step that DEA takes to make our communities safer.”
Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States, eclipsing deaths from motor vehicle crashes or firearms. The majority of prescription drug abusers report that they obtain their drugs from friends and family, including from the home medicine cabinet.
Last April, during its 11th Take Back Day, the DEA and over 4,200 of its national, tribal, and community law enforcement partners collected 893,498 (about 447 tons) of unwanted prescription drugs at almost 5,400 collection sites. A total of 35,788 pounds of unused, expired or unwanted drugs were turned into the collection boxes in North Texas and Oklahoma.
Since the program began six years ago, about 6.4 million (about 3,200 tons) of drugs have been collected. That’s more than a quarter pound of pills for each of the 25 million children aged 12 to 17 in America, pills that won’t result in abuse or overdose.
The public can find a nearby collection site by visiting www.dea.gov, clicking on the “Got Drugs?” icon, and following the links to a database where they enter their zip code. The toll free number that may be called for location sites is l 800-882-9539. Only pills and other solids, like patches, can be brought to the collection sites-liquids and needles or other sharps will not be accepted.
