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Another 188 Tons of Unneeded Medications Collected During Third National DEA Prescription Drug Take-Back Day
Consumers disposed of more than 188 tons of unneeded, unwanted, or expired medications at the third National DEA Prescription Drug Take-Back Day coordinated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on October 29, 2011. Law enforcement and community partners coordinated with DEA to provide 5,327 take-back sites across all 50 states and the United States territories, as reported in a DEA press release. DEA reports that the three take-back days combined collected a total of 995,185 pounds (498.5 tons) of unwanted medication for safe disposal, helping to prevent misuse, abuse, and diversion of the drugs. DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart stated that “The amount of prescription drugs turned in by the American public during the past three Take-Back Day events speaks volumes about the need to develop a convenient way to rid homes of unwanted or expired prescription drugs.” Leonhart noted that “DEA remains hard at work to establish just such a drug disposal process, and will continue to offer take-back opportunities until the proper regulations are in place.” Photographs from the third DEA take-back event are available on the DEA Web site.
