DEA Collected Over 600,000 Pounds of Prescription Drugs at September Take-Back Event
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Roel Smart/iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The most recent Drug Enforcement Agency take-back event, held on Sept. 27, saw more than 600,000 pounds of unwanted prescription drugs turned in.
The DEA partnered with national, tribal and community law enforcement to take back unwanted prescription drugs at 5,495 sites. In total, 617,150 pounds of drugs were collected. The DEA says its four-year total — including nine take-back events — is about 4,823,251 pounds.
Unused prescription drugs “create a public health and safety concern,” the DEA said. Accidental ingestion, theft, misuse or abuse can lead to injury or death. In 2011, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 22,134 Americans died from prescription drug overdoses.
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