On Saturday, April 29, the event brought in 900,386 pounds
(450 tons) at close to 5,500 sites across the nation. Marking the 13th National
Prescription Take Back Day since September 2010, these events have altogether
collected 8,103,363 pounds (4,052 tons) of prescription drugs.
The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Initiative
addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the
2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.4 million Americans abused
controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription
drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine
cabinet. The DEA’s Take Back Day events provide an opportunity for Americans to
prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths.
"Too often, unused prescription drugs find their way
into the wrong hands. That's dangerous
and often tragic,” said Acting DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg. “That's why it was great to see thousands of
folks from across the country clean out their medicine cabinets and turn in -
safely and anonymously - a record amount of prescription drugs."
DEA’s next National Prescription Take Back Day is Saturday,
October 28.
