BILLINGS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana joins the Drug Enforcement Administration in support of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 30. The biannual event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at sites across Montana. The event is an effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in homes are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses from these drugs.
“A majority of people who abuse prescription medications get them from family, friends or the medicine cabinet. The DEA’s Take Back Day is an important step to help reduce the epidemic of opioid deaths, overdoses and addiction by getting rid of unneeded and expired prescriptions. I encourage Montanans to help protect their families, friends and community by dropping off unused prescription drugs at collection sites across the state,” U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
“We are facing a drug overdose epidemic that reaches every corner of America. Prescription medications often end up in the wrong hands, fueling an epidemic that kills more Americans than car accidents,” said DEA Montana Resident Agent in Charge Stacy Zinn-Brittain. “The power to make a difference starts at home, beginning with disposing of the unused, unwanted or expired medications that people keep in their homes.”
More than 30 sheriff’s offices, police departments and federal agencies across Montana are participating in Take Back Day. Information about collection sites and more information about event is available here: https://takebackday.dea.gov/
During the last Take Back Day held on Oct. 23, 2021, 4,276 law enforcement participants at 4,982 collection sites brought in a total weight of 744,082 pounds, or 372 tons, of drugs. This brings the total weight collected to 15.2 million pounds, or more than 7,634 tons, of prescription drugs collected in the history of the program. Collection results may include materials other than prescription drugs.
During the Oct. 23, 2021 event, Montanans turned in 2,352 pounds of prescription drugs at 42 collection sites. Forty-one law enforcement agencies participated.
In addition to DEA’s National Drug Take Back Day on April 30, prescription drugs can be disposed of any day throughout the year at any of the 11,000 authorized collectors. For more information on collection sites, visit: https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 30 Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com.
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