Tomorrow is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day
The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General are encouraging Pennsylvanians to take part in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day initiative tomorrow, October 26.
“This event is tailor-made to dispose of expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications in a safe manner. It’s a simple three-step process: Clean out your medicine cabinet, find the nearest take-back box, and drop off the medications,” says DDAP Deputy Secretary Kelly Primus. “In addition to the DEA’s boxes, there are nearly 900 DDAP drug take-back boxes available throughout Pennsylvania year-round for residents to use. Every day — not just this Saturday — is a take-back day in Pennsylvania.”
Many township and borough police departments have year-round take-back boxes, as does the Pennsylvania State Police. No personal information is required, and drop-off boxes are available 24/7. To find a convenient location to promote to your residents, click here to download a spreadsheet of all current drug take-back locations in Pennsylvania.
The DEA has offered Drug Take-Back Day since 2010 with the goal of fighting prescription drug misuse by creating convenient ways to dispose of medication that could otherwise be at risk of misuse. During the most recent Drug Take-Back Day in April 2024, the DEA collected more than 31,000 pounds of unused medication in Pennsylvania alone across 263 collection sites.
Since Pennsylvania’s program began nine years ago, 700 tons of prescription medication has been destroyed. For more information on National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, go to https://takebackday.dea.gov/. Click here for the press release.
