Arizonans turn in more than 8K pounds of unneeded medication on Drug Take Back Day
May 26, 2022, 4:35 AM
(Pexels Photo)
(Pexels Photo)
PHOENIX — More than 8,000 pounds of unneeded prescription medications were collected across Arizona on Drug Take Back Day last month, authorities said Tuesday.
The Drug Enforcement Administration held the event nationwide on April 30 as a way to help prevent addiction and reduce overdose deaths by providing an easy, no-cost opportunity to get rid of medicine that could be abused or stolen, the agency said in a press release.
“Thank you Arizona for participating in the DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and saving lives,” Cheri Oz, DEA special agent in charge, said in the release.
It is estimated that more than 107,000 people died as a result of a drug overdose last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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“There are hundreds of year-round drop-off locations throughout the great State of Arizona,” Oz said. “Let’s keep working together, we can make a difference.”
People can find the closest permanent drop-off location to them on the DEA’s website.
More than 720,000 pounds of unneeded medications were collected nationwide at over 5,000 sites on Drug Take Back Day, which usually occurs twice a year, the agency said.
DEA and its law enforcement partners since 2010 have collected nearly 16 million pounds of unneeded prescription medications, according to the release.
The next nationwide Drug Take Back Day is set for Oct. 29, the agency said.
