DEA Drug Take Back Saturday: Get Rid Of Your Unused Rx Drugs, No Questions Asked
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – If you have expired or unused prescription drugs in your home, Saturday, April 24 is the 20th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., anyone can dispose of their prescription drugs at locations across Florida.
"This event occurs biannually and is an opportunity for Floridians to properly dispose of unused, unwanted or expired prescription drugs or controlled substances," a release from Attorney General Ashley Moody's office states. "By properly disposing of unwanted or expired pharmaceuticals, the supply of drugs available for people to misuse decreases and drug abuse, addiction and overdose deaths can be averted."
The DEA says the public can drop off potentially dangerous prescription medications at collection sites which will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations in order to maintain the safety of all participants and local law enforcement.
"The opioid crisis continues to ravage our state, claiming close to 17 lives each day. By Floridians taking stock of their medicine cabinets and bringing their unused or expired pharmaceuticals to take-back locations, we can prevent even more deaths. I am asking every Floridian to please participate in Drug Take-Back Day and help keep addictive opioids and controlled substances from falling into the wrong hands," said Moody on Wednesday.
The DEA coordinates drug take-back days with state and local law enforcement.
Tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs will be collected. Liquids, syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs will not be accepted.
DEA will also accept vaping devices and cartridges at its drop-off locations provided lithium batteries are removed.
Click here to see your closest drop-off location, or by calling 800-882-9539.
Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, there was only one drug take-back day last year, on Oct. 24, 2020.
The October 2020 Drug Take-Back Day collected 985,392 pounds of medication—the largest amount ever collected in the program's 10-year history. This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by the DEA since 2010 to more than 13.5 million pounds.
In Florida alone, more than 38,000 pounds of medications were collected at last year's Drug Take-Back Day, with more than 440,000 pounds collected since 2010.
