San Diego County residents who want to get rid of expired, unused and unwanted drugs will have an opportunity to safely discard them at multiple locations Saturday during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
The effort, organized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in partnership with local law enforcement agencies, is intended to underscore the importance of taking commonly abused drugs out of circulation.
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The first Take Back Day of 2023 is scheduled for Saturday, Another will likely be held in October.
"The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety and national security threat," according to a DEA statement. "National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA's commitment to Americans' safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from starting."
The agency began holding take-backs 13 years ago. Since its inaugural drug take-back event, more than 8,300 tons of prescription and non-prescription drugs have been collected at thousands of disposal sites throughout the country, according to officials.
In 2021, an estimated 107,000 people died from drug overdoses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Roughly three- quarters of those deaths were from opioid use, principally the synthetic drug fentanyl, officials said.
Nearly two dozen drop-off sites will be available in San Diego County, with a full list available at www.dea.gov/takebackday.
"Take Back Day events are a great way to clean out your medicine cabinets and help prevent prescription drugs from being misused," DEA Special Agent in Charge Shelly Howe said in a statement. "Please dispose of your unused, unwanted, or expired prescriptions in one of the 22 sites available in San Diego and Imperial Counties on April 22. Additionally, with over 150 permanent drop boxes in San Diego and Imperial Counties, every day is Take Back Day."
The DEA noted that provisions in the federal Secure & Responsible Drug Disposal Act authorize pharmacies, hospitals and other facilities to serve as collection sites year-round.
In addition to drugs, vaping pens and cartridges will also be accepted at drop-off locations. Syringes, sharps and illicit drugs will not be accepted.
No questions will be asked of people disposing of medications or other ingestible products.
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