DEA hosting Drug Take Back Day throughout Massachusetts

Boston – The Drug Enforcement Administration will host its 22nd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This bi-annual event offers free, anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide.

“Disposing of unneeded medications can help prevent drugs from being misused,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “Overdose deaths continue to hit tragic record highs. I encourage everyone to dispose of unneeded prescription medications now.”

“DEA is committed to making our communities safer and healthier,” said Greg Millard, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement’s El Paso Division. “DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back reflects DEA’ commitment. We encourage everyone to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.”

Drug overdose deaths are up 16 percent in the last year, claiming more than 290 lives every day. According to a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a majority of people who misused a prescription medication obtained the medicine from a family member or friend.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the United States, more than 106,000 people died as the result of a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending November 2021, marking the most drug-related deaths ever recorded, with opioid-related deaths accounting for 75 percent of all overdose deaths.

For more than a decade, DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has helped Americans easily rid their homes of unneeded medications—those that are old, unwanted, or no longer needed—that too often become a gateway to addiction. Working in close partnership with local law enforcement, Take Back Day has removed more than 15 million pounds of medication from circulation since its inception. These efforts are directly in line with DEA’s priority to combat the overdose epidemic in the United States.

On Saturday, April 30, 2022, DEA and its law enforcement partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illicit drugs will not be accepted. DEA will accept vaping devices and cartridges provided lithium batteries are removed.

A location finder and partner toolbox are also available at www.DEATakeBack.com for easy reference to April 30 collection sites.

Blessed Trinity Parish, located at 1340 Plymouth Avenue in Fall River, will again be hosting the Fall River Police Department. The first 25 people returning unused medications will receive a $5 Dunkin’ gift card.

New Bedford will be holding theirs at the Police Department at 871 Rockdale Avenue.