U.S. Department
of Justice
U.S. Attorney for Oregon Encourages Community Members to Participate in Prescription Drug Take Back Day
PORTLAND, Ore. – Billy J. Williams, United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, invites all community members to participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 29, 2017.
“DEA’s Drug Take Back Day offers a completely anonymous way to dispose of unused prescription medications,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “We encourage all community members to do their part to combat the opioid abuse epidemic. Unused prescription pain medications stored in your home pose a significant risk of drug addiction for family members and youth. These medications,” continued Williams “are every bit as dangerous as illegal narcotics purchased on the street. Join us in this effort to help stem the tide of abuse in our communities.”
“This is the 13th DEA National Drug Take Back event and is an opportunity to save lives by cleaning out medicine cabinets,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Cam Strahm. “Last October, Oregonians turned in four tons of unused medications and this Saturday, April 29th, we hope to surpass that number and drive down the growing opioid crisis. You can find a site near you at www.dea.gov.”
On average, three Oregonians die every week from prescription opioid overdose. The prescription drug overdose rate in Oregon was 2.8 times higher in 2013 than in 2000. Between 2012 and 2013, an estimated 212,000 Oregonians self-reported using prescription painkillers for non-medical purposes. Opioid-related overdose death rates in Oregon vary by race/ethnicity with the highest rates occurring among American Indians and Alaska Natives.
On the October 2016 Take Back Day, the DEA collected over 731,000 pounds of unwanted prescription medications turned in by the public at more than 5,000 collection sites nationwide. Over the life of the take back program, citizens around the country have removed more than 7.1 million pounds of prescription drugs from their homes.
Unused medications stored in the home pose a significant threat of abuse. In 2015, nearly 4 million people who abused prescription painkillers say they obtained the drugs from family members or friends. It is well documented that abusing prescription painkillers can lead to abuse of illegal narcotics. Statistics show that four out of five new heroin users began their drug abuse by taking prescription painkillers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2014 alone, nearly 30,000 people died from overdosing on prescription painkillers or heroin.
To locate a drug collection site near you, please visit www.dea.gov and click on the “Got Drugs?” icon or call 1-800-882-9529.