U.S. Attorney Encourages Idahoans to Participate in DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day This Saturday

BOISE – U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis will join the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on October 26th in support of the 18th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The biannual event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at thousands of collection sites around the country, including 38 here in Idaho. The event is an effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

“The widespread prevalence of unused prescription medication is a significant contributor to drug abuse and addiction,” stated U.S. Attorney Davis. “National Prescription Drug Take Back Day provides an actionable way to rid opioids and other medicines from our nation’s homes. I urge Idahoans to do their part to combat this crisis by going to a collection site and safely disposing of unused, expired, and dangerous prescription medication.”

Starting with this October’s campaign, DEA will now accept vaping devices and cartridges–in addition to tablets, capsules, patches, and other medications in solid forms–at any of its drop off locations. DEA is doing all it can to help dispose safely of vaping devices and liquids to get these products off our streets and out of the hands of children.

Last April, 469 tons (937,443 pounds) of prescription drugs were turned in, more than twice the weight of the Statue of Liberty. Nearly 5,000 local and tribal law enforcement partners signed up to operate close to 6,300 collection sites around the nation. Overall, in its 17 previous Take Back Day events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 11 million pounds—almost 6,000 tons—of expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications. The disposal service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

Flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash pose potential safety and health hazards. The initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse.

For more information or to locate a collection site near you, go the DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Day web site at www.DEATakeBack.com where you can search by zip code, city, or state.

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