In an effort to get unused prescription drugs out of people’s medicine cabinets––and away from those who might abuse them––the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is sponsoring a National Drug Take-Back Day on April 26, 2014.
Getting involved with your local take-back event is a great way to help fight prescription drug abuse in your community. Here are just a few ways your pharmacy can help.
Offer to help with a take-back event
Current DEA guidelines specify that the return of controlled substances can only be done with the direct involvement of law enforcement, so be sure to talk to your local DEA office about ways your pharmacy can participate.
“You definitely need to contact the local DEA office to register and to sign up,” said Dawn Dearden, a spokesperson for the DEA. “It varies from division to division on where they allow take-back events to be held. Your best bet is to reach out to the local office.”
The DEA handles the collection and disposal of all returned drugs.
Tell your patients how to participate
Promoting your local take-back event to patients will help make it more successful. And patients will appreciate the opportunity to get rid of unwanted medications in a safe and responsible way.
Dearden noted that the response to past Drug Take-Back Days has been very positive. “We are constantly amazed by how much is turned in each time,” she said. “We’re talking several hundred tons of pills that have been collected.”
Let your patients know about an event in your area with announcements on your pharmacy’s website and social media pages. Placing flyers in patients’ prescription bags is another budget-friendly way to spread the word about Take-Back Day.
Visit the DEA website for more information on National Drug Take-Back Day and to locate your local collection site. Or, talk to your local DEA office about how your pharmacy can help on April 26.
Drug take-back, in numbers
1,733 tons – total amount of expired and unwanted medications collected in the previous take-back events.
5,683 – number of collection sites that took part in the most recent event.
2 – number of Drug Take-Back Days per year, one in spring and one in fall.
