CONCORD - United States Attorney Scott W. Murray encourages the public to participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 28, 2018. This biannual event will be held form 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at thousands of collection sites around the country, including over 100 here in New Hampshire. This event is an important effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
“Everyone in New Hampshire should consider joining our efforts to combat the opioid crisis by participating in National Prescription Take Back Day," said U.S. Attorney Murray. “Far too many individuals began their paths to addiction with the misuse of prescription drugs. One simple and effective way to protect our families is to remove any unneeded prescription drugs from our homes. Properly disposing of these drugs can prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. By taking a few minutes to remove these drugs from your home, you will be helping to improve the safety of our community."
“Our take-back events highlight the problems related to prescription drug abuse and gives our citizens an opportunity to contribute to the solution," said DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Albert Angelucci. “These events are only made possible through the dedicated work and commitment of our local, county, state, and federal partners and DEA thanks every one of them for their efforts."
Prior Drug Take Back Day events have been very successful. Last October, Americans turned in 456 tons (912,305 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 14 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 9 million pounds-more than 4,500 tons-of pills. The disposal service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Please note that the DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches.
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that most abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose. Some painkiller abusers move on to heroin. In fact, four out of five new heroin users started their drug use with painkillers.
Flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash pose potential safety and health hazards. This initiative addresses the public safety and public health issues that surround medications languishing in home cabinets, becoming highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.
For more information or to locate a collection site near you, go the DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Day web site at https://takebackday.dea.gov/#collection-locator where you can search by zip code, city, or state.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
