Communities Across the Country Remove Nearly 664,000 Pounds of Unneeded Prescription Medications to Prevent Drug Misuse
NEW ORLEANS – On April 22, 2023, DEA and its law enforcement partners came together once again to protect our communities from prescription misuse by safely disposing of 663,725 pounds of unneeded medications at nearly 5,000 collection sites across the country.
Since its inception in 2010, DEA’s bi-annual National Prescription Take Back Day has removed more than 17 million pounds of unnecessary medications from communities across the country.
This year, the New Orleans Field Division (NOFD) collected 36,615 pounds of unneeded medications at collection sites. Amounts collected by state were: Louisiana, 2074 pounds; Mississippi, 3,943 pounds; Alabama, 4,457 pounds; Arkansas, 26,020 pounds. Tribal lands in Arkansas and Mississippi turned in 22 pounds and 99 pounds respectively.
For more than a decade, Take Back Day has helped Americans easily rid their homes of unneeded medications—those that are old, unwanted, or expired. These medications can be a gateway to addiction, and have helped fuel the opioid epidemic.
“Communities across the country again answered the call to rid their homes of unneeded medications to protect loved ones from deadly drugs and drug poisonings,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “National Prescription Drug Take Back Day continues to protect our communities and create healthier environments by offering safe disposal of prescription medications.”
“I want to thank everyone throughout Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi who safely disposed of unwanted and expired prescription medication during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day,” said Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans Field Division Brad L. Byerley. “This effort helps prevent medication misuse that too often leads to opioid addiction at a time when Americans are dying from drug poisonings in record numbers.”
DEA continues to expand opportunities to make safe disposal of medications more accessible nationwide. A list of permanent drug-drop boxes located in communities across the country can be found here.
Safe medication disposal receptacles along with DEA Take Back events provide families easy, no-cost opportunities to get rid of unnecessary medicines stored in the home that can be susceptible to abuse and theft.
Complete results for DEA’s spring National Prescription Drug Take Back Day are available at Take Back Day (dea.gov).
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