DEA's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Results in 1,788 Pounds of Drugs Collected in the Northern District of Oklahoma

Trent Shores, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma, and John Scott, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, DEA Oklahoma, announced the results of the 18^th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in the Northern District of Oklahoma. The event was created to help Americans dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs in order to help prevent addiction and overdose deaths.

Oklahomans living in Tulsa, Pawnee, Osage, Creek, Washington, Nowata, Rogers, Craig, Mayes, Ottawa, and Delaware Counties turned in 1,788 pounds of pharmaceuticals, vaping devices, and cartridges to 17 different sites within the District. In all of Oklahoma, the DEA, along with federal, state, local and tribal partners collected a total of 122 boxes weighing approximately 2,194 pounds.  The DEA accepted the vaping devices and cartridges for the first time his year.

“DEA’s Prescription Drug Take Back Day saves lives. Preventive efforts, like disposing of unused prescriptions or restricting access to medications, help to protect our loved ones and friends,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “I am thankful to DEA Oklahoma for their hard work in setting up this event and to community members in northern Oklahoma who turned in their outdated and unused prescriptions.”

“It is no secret that Oklahoma’s youth who are abusing prescription drugs are getting these drugs primarily from their parents’ medicine cabinet or from a friend who most likely got the drugs from their parents’ medicine cabinet,” said John Scott, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, DEA Oklahoma. “The collection and destruction of over 2,000 pounds of potentially deadly drugs will no doubt help keep Oklahoma’s youth safer. It should be noted that if you happened to miss the nationwide takeback event, you can go to www.ok.gov/obndd  and search for an Rx Disposal Box near you.  These boxes are conveniently located all over the state of Oklahoma for individuals to dispose of their unused, expired and unwanted prescription drugs.”

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are concerning, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. In an effort to remind individuals to lock up or dispose of unwanted prescriptions, U.S. Attorney Shores created a Public Service Announcement providing tips for community members to protect loved ones, reminding them to “help save a life.” You can access the Public Service Announcement at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87_ohtgOvfM.

During October’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, 5,000 partner law enforcement agencies operated 5,725 collection sites nationwide, including 140 Bureau of Indian Affairs sites. In the Northern District of Oklahoma, sites were operated by the DEA’s Tulsa Resident Office, Bartlesville Police and Fire Departments, Eastern Shawnee Tribal Police Department, Pryor Police Department, Tulsa Country Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Sapulpa Police Department, Quapaw Nation, Wyandotte Nation, Miami Nation, Miami Agency and the Pawhuska Police Department.

DEA began putting on Take Back Day events when the public had no other way to appropriately dispose of their leftover painkillers and other potentially dangerous drugs. These Take Back events have been extremely successful not only in getting unused drugs out of the house, but also in raising awareness of their link to addiction and overdose deaths. Since DEA launched this program over 10 years ago, law enforcement agencies, pharmacies and others have installed permanent prescription drug drop boxes on-site, making drug disposal even more convenient.