Drug Take Back Day hauls in nearly 63K pounds of unwanted meds from state, 2 other regions

More than 390 communities, law enforcement groups participated

A successful haul of unneeded prescription medication during last month’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is being reported by the Drug Enforcement Agency.

For the Oct. 29, 2022 event, 62,942 pounds of drugs were dropped off at 585 sites across Michigan, Ohio and northern Kentucky, according to the DEA’s Detroit Division. More than 390 communities and law enforcement groups in the region participated in the event, held twice a year since 2010. Since the inception of the nationwide Drug Take Back Day, nearly 17 million pounds are unneeded and unwanted drugs have been collected nationwide at the bi-annual events, the DEA said, with 647,000 pounds of drugs turned in throughout the United States at the one held late last month.

“The Take Back campaign is part of DEA’s continued efforts to protect our communities and create healthier environments by offering the safe disposal of medications,” DEA Administrator Ann Milgram stated in a news release. “We appreciate the community support we see during these events and encourage everyone to remove unneeded medications from their home.”

Since April 2017, the DEA increased the number of authorized collectors, including pharmacies and medical facilities, from approximatley 2,200 to 15,000, according to the agency.

“These tremendous results would not be possible without the work our law enforcement and community partners put into this event,” DEA Detroit Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene stated in the news release. “Clearing out medicine cabinets of unwanted prescription medication is something we all can do to prevent medication misuse that too often results in opioid addiction and drug poisoning deaths.”

Complete results for DEA’s fall National Prescription Drug Take Back Day are available at www. DEATakeBack.com.