United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MIAMI - A.D. Wright, Special Agent in (SAC), Drug Enforcement (DEA), Miami Field Division, announces that the 10th National Prescription Drug Take-Back will take place September 26th from 10 am-2 pm local time.  As with the previous nine Take-Back events, sites will be set up throughout communities nationwide so local residents can return their unwanted, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs for safe disposal. 

Collection sites in every local community can be found by going to www.dea.gov.  This site will be continuously updated with new take-back locations.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Many Americans are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.  Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  Studies show that many abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.  In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away - both potential safety and health hazards.

SAC Wright stated, “Prescription drug abuse continues to be a problem in Florida.  Parents should talk to their children about the dangers of taking prescription medication not prescribed to them and help reduce the threat of drug abuse, theft, and accidental overdoses.  Please take this opportunity to clean out your medicine cabinet and keep your loved ones safe and healthy.”

In the previous nine Take-Back events from 2010-2014, approximately 70,585 tons of drugs were collected and safely disposed in Florida.