Thousands of unnecessary medications were collected during the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) biannual National Prescription Take Back Day on April 22, when more than 663,000 pounds of the drugs were dropped off at nearly 5,000 collection sites.
Since its 2010 inception, National Prescription Take Back Day has resulted in the collection of more than 17 million pounds of medications from communities across the country. New Jersey residents alone have surrendered more than 372,000 pounds, or 186 tons.
The take-back initiative has helped Americans easily rid their homes of unneeded medications that are old or expired. Those drugs can be a gateway to addiction and have helped fuel the opioid epidemic.
“Communities across the country again answered the call to rid their homes of unneeded medications to protect loved ones from deadly drugs and drug poisonings,” noted DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.
“The DEA New Jersey Division always appreciates the participation of New Jersey residents in cleaning out their medicine cabinets and removing the temptation for people in the house to experiment with these medications,” said division agent Daniel J. Kafafian.
“I also want to thank the more than 240 state, county, and local police departments that assisted in this endeavor. Every pill removed from the home is an opportunity to prevent possible misuse of these prescriptions.”
A list of permanent drug drop boxes in the state and across the country can be found at the DEA website, DEA.gov.
