National Prescription Drug Take Back Day- October 23rd, 2021

October 22, 2021

The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is supported by the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and addresses a crucial public health and safety issue: misuse of prescription drugs. According to the 2020 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (“SAMHSA”), approximately 11 million people misused prescription pain relievers in 2020.

The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. Too often, unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands, which can be very dangerous. That’s why the DEA promotes education about proper disposal of prescription medications. Take Back Day allows thousands of Americans to clean out their medicine cabinets and turn in – safely and anonymously – unused prescription drugs. Last year, they collected a total of 420 Tons of unused prescription drugs. 

To learn more about this event, including how to find collection sites near you, visit the “Take Back Day” website at https://takebackday.dea.gov/.

To more reports from SAMHSA, go to https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2019-nsduh-annual-national-report.