DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Safely Removes More Than 645,000 Pounds of Unwanted Medications Nationwide

OMAHA, Neb. – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in partnership with more than 4,200 law enforcement agencies, collected 645,636 pounds of unused medications October 24, as part of ongoing efforts to prevent drug misuse. This event marked DEA’s 31st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day with 4,212 collection sites nationwide, including 64 tribal locations.  

Across the five-state DEA Omaha Field Division, communities safely disposed of 17,463 pounds of unused and expired prescription medications at 142 locations spanning Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Since 2010, DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has collected the equivalent of more than 10,840 tons of medications, including 371 tons from the Midwestern region.

“The importance of safely disposing of prescription medications can’t be stressed enough,” DEA Omaha Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Rafael Mattei said. “Whether medications are dropped off at one our Take Back Day events or taken to a year-round collection site, getting those substances out of the home helps reduce the risk of accidental overdose and drug misuse.”

More than 15,300 pharmacies, hospitals, businesses, and many police departments offer safe medication disposal year-round.  For information on permanent drop boxes, visit DEA’s Every Day is Take Back Day webpage.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day results are available at Take Back Day. Safe disposal of unused medications remains one of the simplest ways communities can help prevent drug misuse.