DEA and partners announce results of 20th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
New Jersey Field Division contributes 16,576 pounds to the collection tally
NEWARK, N.J. – DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day collected 829,543 pounds (419.7 tons) of unused, expired, and unwanted medications across the country. The New Jersey Field Division collected 16,576 pounds of that grand total. Americans once again showed their dedication toward helping prevent addiction and potential overdose by removing prescription pills from their homes. Our April event included 4,425 community partners at 5,060 collection sites throughout the country.
“DEA’s biannual Take Back Day events are critical to helping reduce overdose deaths and alleviate addiction by safely disposing of prescription medications that sit idle in the home,” said DEA Acting Administrator D. Christopher Evans. “DEA is committed to providing a safe and secure method for the public to rid their homes of potentially dangerous drugs.”
“New Jersey residents have turned in more than 311,000 pounds (155 tons) since the inception of the Take Back program,” said Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s New Jersey Division Susan A. Gibson. “I would like to thank those who turned in their unwanted and unused prescriptions, and thank the 225 New Jersey police departments who participated. Every prescription bottle removed from the medicine cabinet makes the home and community safer.”
DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, has now collected 14,524,391 million pounds of medications since the inception of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative in 2010. On Oct. 24, 2020, the public turned in a record 985,392 pounds – almost 493 tons – of medication to DEA and 4,153 of its community partners at 4,587 collection sites nationwide, including 33 Bureau of Indian Affairs sites.
For those who could not make it to a Take Back location, DEA reminds the community that every day is Take Back Day with more than 11,000 year-round authorized collection sites across the country. For more information, visit: https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1.
DEA also encourages the public to reach out to their local law enforcement to find out if they have any permanent drug disposal locations throughout their local community.
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