On April 30, communities across the country demonstrated their support for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by dropping off more than 720,000 pounds of unneeded medications at 5,144 collection sites.
Since 2010, DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, has collected nearly 16 million pounds of unneeded prescription medications, according to a press release.
In New Jersey, there were 231 police departments which participated at 245 collection sites. As a result of this participation, more than 15,000 pounds of unneeded medications was collected across New Jersey. This brings the total amount of medications collected in New Jersey to more than 341,000 pounds or 170 tons, according to the press release.
“National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is an important part of DEA’s efforts to fight the overdose epidemic and save lives,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said. “I encourage everyone across the country to dispose of unneeded medications throughout the year to help keep our communities safe and healthy.”
“I want to thank all of the police departments and the New Jersey National Guard for their assistance in this national event,” DEA New Jersey Division Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson said.
“Every pill that is destroyed is one less that can be misused. Everyone needs to play a role in combating this epidemic and this program is one big way we can all help to keep people alive,” Gibson said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the United States, more than 107,000 people died as the result of a drug overdose last year. This figure means someone in the United States is dying of a drug overdose every five minutes, according to the press release.
Complete results for DEA’s spring National Prescription Drug Take Back Day are available at
www.DEATakeBack.com. DEA’s next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is scheduled for Oct 29.