This fall, DEA and law enforcement partners collected 599,897 pounds (300 tons) of unneeded medications across 4,955 collection sites. Since 2010, DEA, along with its partners, has collected 17,300,454 pounds (8,650 tons) of unneeded prescription drugs.
- Total Law Enforcement Participation: 4383
- Total Collection Sites: 4675
- Total Weight Collected: 599,897 lbs. (300 tons)
- Total Weight All Time: 17,900,351 lbs. (8,950 tons)
The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety, and national security threat. DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.
DEA is committed to making our communities safer and healthier, and we can do this by reducing overdoses and overdose deaths. While the community does its part to turn in unneeded medications and remove them from potential harm, we are doing our part to further reduce drug-related violence.
On this webpage are resources to help you dispose of unneeded medications in your home, seek treatment for a substance use disorder and learn more about the drug overdose epidemic in the United States.
Click here for additional details about the 25th National Take Back Day.
Other Resources
Drug Database
Find out as much as you can about illegal and legal drugs and their effects on your body and brain. The more informed you are, the more confidently you can make the right decision about drugs. Get more information here.
Drug Scheduling
Drugs, substances, and certain chemicals used to make drugs are classified into five (5) distinct categories or schedules depending upon the drug’s acceptable medical use and the drug’s abuse or dependency potential. Click here for additional information.
Year-Round Drug Disposal
Missed Take Back Day? Click here to locate an authorized collector in your area.
