New Policy Brief on Prescription Drug Takeback Programs and Substance Abuse Prevention

Now recognized as an epidemic, President Obama's 2011 National Drug Control Strategy highlights non-medical use of prescription drugs as "America's fastest growing drug problem."  As a component of substance abuse prevention plans, drug takeback programs have become increasingly popular as policymakers struggle to provide individuals with a secure and convenient way to dispose of unused medications.

To learn more about takeback programs, Carnevale Associates, LLC surveyed a number of programs to better understand their design, costs, and efficacy to support national efforts to reduce the size and scope of the prescription drug epidemic.  Our analysis found that these programs vary substantially in cost and approach.   In addition, we found no evidence that takeback programs affect prescription drug abuse. We conclude that additional research is needed before incorporating takebacks into any substance abuse prevention plan.

Safe and secure disposal of unused medication must be an important component of substance abuse prevention. However, given the dearth of information on takeback programs, more research is needed before heavily investing in takebacks as a key component of a substance abuse prevention strategy. Policymakers must seek new solutions to emerging drug problems; however, in these austere times, they must also be careful to allocate scarce prevention dollars to prevention programs that will do the most good.

The Policy Brief is available at: Prescription Drug Takeback Programs & Substance Abuse Prevention

You can also download a PDF version of the brief: PDF: Prescription Drug Takeback Programs & Substance Abuse Prevention

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