DEA Prepares For Prescription Drug Takeback Day

HARRISBURG – U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania will join DEA on October 28, 2017, for its 14^th 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 here in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The event is an effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

“The death toll from prescription painkillers has tripled in the past decade and the problem is getting worse, said U.S. Attorney Brandler.” “Over 16,000 people die every year from prescription painkiller overdoses – that’s more than the number of overdoses from heroin, cocaine, or any other illegal drug.”

“Disposing of leftover painkillers or other addictive medicines in the house is one of the best ways to prevent a member of your family from becoming a victim of the opioid epidemic,” said Gary Tuggle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Philadelphia Field Division.  “More people start down the path of addiction and overdose death with opioid prescription drugs than any other substance. The abuse of these drugs is our nation’s biggest drug problem.” 

Last April Americans turned in 450 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 13 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds—more than 4,050 tons—of pills. The disposal service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. (The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches.)

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. 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. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose. Some painkiller abusers move on to heroin: Four out of five new heroin users started with painkillers.

Flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash pose potential safety and health hazards. This initiative addresses the public safety and public health issues that surround medications languishing in home cabinets, becoming 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 https://takebackday.dea.gov/#collection-locator where you can search by zip code, city, or state.

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