DEA Holds Annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day
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PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Saturday marks the seventh annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which aims at getting drugs away from people who might abuse them, as well as helping the environment.
The Drug Enforcement Administration calls prescription drug abuse the fastest-growing drug problem in the country.
DEA spokesperson Dawn Deardon said National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day gives people a safe and anonymous way to get rid of leftover drugs that could be addictive or harmful to the environment.
“I think a lot of people don’t know what to do with drugs that they have left over,” Deardon said. “They just kind of throw it in a drawer and you forget about them.”
Deardon said last time, the event collected 371 tons of pills. “We don’t sort them, we don’t do anything with them. We just incinerate them, and no questions asked,” Deardon said.
The website DEA.gov has a list of drop-off sites. There are 5,500 drop-off sites across the country.
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