Saturday, October 28 at sites across the state
For Immediate Release:
October 23, 2023
For press inquiries only, contact:
Amanda Priest (334) 322-5694
Cameron Mixon (334) 242-7491
(Montgomery) – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall urges Alabamians to participate in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on October 28, 2023. The annual event is a partnership between national, state, and local law enforcement to combat the abuse or misuse of potentially dangerous prescription drugs by providing safe and proper disposal sites. From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., residents will be able to drop off their old or expired prescription drugs at 46 take back sites throughout Alabama. In April, the bi-annual event collected 4,457 tons at 53 Alabama locations.
“Alabama’s abnormally high opioid prescription rates substantially increase the likelihood of exposure to extremely dangerous and very addictive drugs,” said Attorney General Marshall. “Each drop site provides a quick, safe, and reliable opportunity to properly disposed of prescribed drugs – opioid or other –and ensures those prescription drugs are not flushed into our water system. I urge Alabamians to join me in cleaning out your prescription drug cabinets and dropping them off at one of the listed sites because together we can make a difference.”
A list of sites may be found through a search at https://www.dea.gov/takebackday#collection-locator. However, if you do not find your area listed on the DEA’s website, please check with local law enforcement officials to see if they may be participating in a Take Back event in your community.
Deliveries of drugs to DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events are confidential, with no personal information collected and no questions asked. Participants are encouraged to remove labels or black-out information beforehand.
In addition to concerns of potential poisoning, abuse, or overdose, it also is important environmentally that medicines be disposed of in a proper manner rather than simply being thrown into the trash, flushed away, or poured down drains, as they could contaminate water supplies and cause an environmental hazard.
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