National Drug Take Back Day is coming up!
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will be hosting its 22nd annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 30, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. National Take Back Day is a free, safe, anonymous, and convenient way to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs. Since the start of these events, a total of over 15 million pounds have been collected!
Communities across Washington State will be joining the DEA efforts by hosting awareness events, educating members of their communities and hosting prescription drop sites across the state. The state of Washington has collected a total of 295,198 pounds since the inception of these events and at the last Drug Take Back Day in October 2021 collected a total of 9,380 pounds across 75 collection sites.
How can you get involved? There are multiple ways you can get involved!
- Find a take back location near you and participate by taking back any unused and/or unwanted prescriptions you may have. You can find a take back location near you by visiting MED-Project’s Find A Location website.
- Learn more about Opioid Prevention by visiting our statewide campaign website, Starts With One. This site will have an abundance of information, as well as lots of resources, including multiple toolkits for educators, health providers and even parents!
Additional resources:
- DEA’s Take Back Day Webpage – filled with information regarding National Drug Take Back day, DEA’s Public Service Announcements and additional partner resources for spreading awareness around National Drug Take Back Day.
- Washington State’s Statewide Safe Medication Return Program – in November 2021, Washington State launched the unified, statewide program that gives Washington residents a free, convenient, and environmentally responsible options to dispose of unwanted medication.
- With this program, Washington residents are able to request a free, prepaid envelope to mail-back unused and/or expired medications.
