If you have expired, unused prescription medications in your medicine cabinet or anywhere else in your home or office, you have another chance to safely get rid of them during the 20th Take Back Day coming next month. 
The Detroit office of the Drug Enforcement Administration has announced their upcoming Take Back Day, coming on the heels of their largest collection to-date, between federal, state and local partners.
With opioid overdose deaths increasing during the pandemic, the DEA has announced its 20th Take Back Day is scheduled for Saturday, April 24th from 10am until 2pm. At its last Take Back Day, held in October, the DEA collected a record amount of expired, unused prescription medications, with the public turning in close to 500 tons of unwanted drugs. Over the 10-year span of Take Back Day, the DEA has brought in more than 6,800 tons of prescription drugs. With studies indicating a majority of abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets, clearing out unused medicine is essential.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. has seen an increase in overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 83,544 Americans overdosing during the 12-month period ending July 1, 2020, the most ever recorded in a 12-month period. The increase in drug overdose deaths appeared to begin prior to the COVID-19 health emergency, but accelerated significantly during the first months of the pandemic.
The Detroit Field Division, which covers Michigan, Ohio and parts of Northern Kentucky, collected a record-setting 94,000 pounds during the October 2020 take back event.
DEA Detroit Field Division Special Agent in Charge Keith Martin says, “Helping people dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs is just one way DEA is working to reduce addiction and stem overdose deaths,” and adds, “Take Back Day is not only a great opportunity to rid your home of unused medication, but is also a time to have important conversations about proper use and storage of prescription medication.”
The public can drop off potentially dangerous prescription medications at collection sites which will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations in order to maintain the safety of all participants and local law enforcement.
The DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs, however, will not be accepted. DEA will continue to accept vaping devices and cartridges at its drop off locations provided lithium batteries are removed first.
You can learn more about the event online at: http://www.deatakeback.com, or by calling 800-882-9539. As the date draws closer, that link will include locations where drop offs can be made.
