DOVER, DE (October 25, 2022) – Delaware will hold its 23rd National Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 29, 2022. Delawareans can discard their expired or unused medications at locations statewide between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. There will also be overdose response training with free Narcan available at select locations.
Organized nationally by the DEA, Prescription Drug Take Back Day is operated locally by the Division of Public Health (DPH). The biannual event is aimed at reducing the risk of prescription medications being diverted for misuse and has resulted in nearly 100,000 pounds of medication being collected since 2010. Properly discarding unused medications through this event is an important ongoing activity in the effort to address the nationwide opioid epidemic. Doing so reduces the risk of addiction by keeping prescription medications out of the hands of people who may misuse, abuse, or divert them, and helps reduce the risk of drug overdoses.
“The Drug Take Back Days are a convenient way for Delawareans to remove expired, unwanted or unused medications from their homes, and dispose of them safely and securely,” said Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Secretary Molly Magarik. “These collection events and the permanent medicine drop-off sites across our state also are critical to reducing the potential for misuse, abuse or diversion, and, thereby, reducing the risk of people overdosing or dying. We all can do our part by removing unnecessary medications from our homes.”