National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Oct. 23

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced its National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will take place October 23. This annual event addresses a public safety and public health issue and provides Americans an opportunity to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives that year. The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often right from their home medicine cabinet.

The Take Back Day website also has a search function for collection site locations across the country, statistics from previous years' events, treatment information and additional valuable resources.