Sedgwick routinely reminds clients and colleagues about the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA’s) National Prescription Drug Take Back Days. The next Take Back Day will be this Saturday, October 28 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. In 2010, the DEA started organizing communities and local law enforcement to work together for safe disposal of prescription drugs in an effort to keep unnecessary and potentially hazardous or deadly prescription drugs out of homes and neighborhoods. The Take Back initiative is one of several tactics under the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010. The Act was passed to help reduce and diversion throughout the U.S. and curtail the opioid epidemic.
Since then, communities nationwide have safely disposed of millions of pounds of unwanted prescription drugs. According to the DEA, the April 2017 Take Back Day resulted in the disposal of more than 900,000 pounds of medications.
If you have unwanted drugs, then you can help. The disposal service is completely anonymous and there is no charge for disposal. Contact the DEA’s call center at 800.882.9539 or check the DEA’s website for your local collection locations.
The service is a simple way to make our communities safer, including children and pets that could be harmed or killed by consuming medication not intended for them or discarded in an unsafe manner. We appreciate everyone’s participation.
Dr. Reema Hammoud, PharmD, BCPS, Director, Clinical Pharmacy