New Opportunity to Dispose of Old Prescription Meds

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has scheduled another National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day this Saturday, April 28, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Participants in the DEA’s third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on October 29, 2011, turned in more than 377,086 pounds of unwanted or expired medications for safe disposal at the 5,327 take-back sites.

“These events have dramatically reduced the risk of prescription-drug diversion and abuse and increased awareness of this critical public-health issue,” said DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart. "The amount of prescription drugs turned in by the American public speaks volumes about the need to develop a convenient way to rid homes of unwanted or expired prescription drugs. DEA remains hard at work to establish a drug-disposal process and will continue to offer take-back opportunities until the proper regulations are in place." 

For more information about the event, including a collection-site locator, see the DEA's "Got Drugs?" site.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that states need to take more responsibility for reining in prescription drug abuse. Read more about the CDC's stance in Psychiatric News, here. 

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