The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is proud to support the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) new “Take-Back” initiative, a program designed to prevent increased prescription drug abuse and theft. On September 25, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, DEA will collect potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs nationwide; drugs collected will then be taken to destruction sites.
Event Details:
Nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Day
September 25, 2010
10 a.m.–2 p.m., local time
Find a collection site
“Prescription drug abuse and diversion—often facilitated by ‘left-over’ prescriptions being stored in our own homes—is having a devastating effect on our families and on our communities,” said BJA’s Acting Director, James H. Burch, II. “We strongly encourage all of BJA’s state, local, and tribal partners to help spread the word and to participate in DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back campaign on September 25. The safe and legal disposal of prescription drugs through this effort could make a substantial impact on prescription drug abuse and will result in safer communities.”
Over recent years, prescription drug abuse has been a large concern for communities across the nation. DEA reports that:
- One in seven teens admits to abusing prescription drugs to get high in the past year.
- Fifty-six percent of teens believe that prescription drugs are easier to obtain then illicit drugs.
- In 2008, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 6.2 million American people age 12 and older abused prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes within the past month.
Other participants in the “Take-Back” initiative include the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Association of Attorneys General, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the Federation of State Medical Boards, and the National District Attorneys Association.
We encourage you to forward this information to your communities, partner agencies, and others who are working to end prescription drug abuse. On behalf of BJA, thank you for supporting this important issue.
For more information about DEA and the “Take-Back” initiative:
www.dea.gov
Take-Back Day Press Release
Prescription Drug Take-Back Program FAQs
DEA Prescription Drug Abuse Fact Sheet