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Press Release

Nevada Collects Over 8,000 Pounds Of Unused Pills At National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Nevada

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Americans nationwide did their part to drop off a record number of unused, unwanted, or expired prescription medications during the DEA’s 15th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Together with a record-setting number of local, state, and federal partners, DEA collected and destroyed close to one million pounds—nearly 475 tons—of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs, making it the most successful event in DEA history. This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected nationwide by DEA since the fall of 2010 to 9,964,714 pounds, or 4,982 tons.

The Silver State collected a total of 8,012 pounds of prescription pills at 21 sites across the state, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Dan Neill for the DEA Las Vegas office.

“Turning in unused and expired prescription drugs at a Take Back Day collection site may have prevented someone from becoming an addict or helped save a life in Nevada,” said U.S. Attorney Elieson. “National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events continue to safely remove dangerous drugs from homes, where they could be stolen and abused by family members, including children and teens. I am grateful to every Nevadan and law enforcement agency who participated in the DEA Take Back Day.”

“National Prescription Drug Take Back is an opportunity for the community to come together and rid their medicine cabinets of unwanted prescription drugs,” said ASAC Neill. “The growing opioid epidemic must be confronted at every level - in our communities, across the State, and across our Nation - and Take Back events afford us a unique opportunity to collaborate at each level.”

DEA launched its prescription drug take back program when both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration advised the public that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—posed potential safety and health hazards.

Complete results for DEA’s 15th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day are available at www.deatakeback.com. The next Take Back Day is October 27, 2018.

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Updated May 8, 2018

Topics
Community Outreach
Prescription Drugs
Component