Make every day a Drug Take Back Day

Doing more to fight the opioid epidemic and drug misuse.

There were more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. for the yearlong period ending April 2021, a 30 percent increase compared to the prior year. That number included a rise in deaths due to the misuse of prescription pain medication.

Drug abuse and misuse – including misuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs – hasn’t gone away during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, many Americans have reported starting or increasing substance use as a way to cope with pandemic-related challenges.

That’s one reason why the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is continuing its twice-a-year National Drug Take Back Day events.

Every day can be Take Back Day

In the midst of our country's growing opioid epidemic, twice a year is a good start but it’s not enough. That’s why we’re on a mission to make every day Drug Take Back Day.

Help us get unused drugs out of homes and into hands that can get rid of them properly. Check out the best ways to get rid of unused drugs, or find a safe disposal location.

Prepare items for disposal by:

• Ensuring all prescribed medications are contained inside their original bottle or placed inside a small sealed container (for example, plastic bottle or zip-lock bag).
• Remove personal information or mark it out using permanent marker.