CEO Corner: Making Every Day Take Back Day

Communities across the country are getting ready for the DEA’s next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day (April 30). In 2021, nearly 800 tons of unused prescription and over-the-counter medications were collected at Take Back Day events amid a 16% spike in drug overdose deaths from 2020, a year that saw a record-setting number of drug-related fatalities.

This April, it’s more important than ever to increase awareness about the importance of proper drug deactivation and disposal and ensure individuals have access to safe, permanent disposal methods.

At-home drug deactivation and disposal options like the Deterra® Drug Deactivation and Disposal System can help extend the reach of collection events. Public safety agencies including the Clark County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio hand out Deterra at collection sites and community events to encourage safe disposal year-round. Deterra also destroys liquid medications, which are generally not accepted at take-back sites.

Providing Deterra as an at-home option helps increase access to effective, convenient medication disposal for individuals who can’t make it to a take-back site, such as rural or homebound residents.

There are funding opportunities available to help make at-home drug deactivation part of your prevention efforts.

At-home drug deactivation is an increasingly popular option for governments, coalitions and law enforcement agencies to promote simple and permanent medication disposal to combat misuse, overdoses and accidental poisonings. In fact, lawmakers in New York’s Rensselaer County recently announced a new law requiring pharmacies to provide drug deactivation and disposal resources alongside every opioid prescription. A new ordinance requiring the same was recently signed in neighboring Albany County, with a full legislative measure in the works.

Many organizations have had success using grants and other funding opportunities to purchase and distribute Deterra as part of a larger prevention program or as a standalone at-home drug deactivation campaign. Additionally, Deterra is an eligible expense for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) grant, which aims to help state, local, and tribal jurisdictions address substance use based on local needs.

Supplementing take-back events and drop-off sites with at-home resources can increase access to proper destruction and disposal and reinforce the idea that every day can be drug take back day.

Connect with our sales team by April 15 to place your order in time for Take Back Day and we’ll include a free “Take Two” easel to help promote your Deterra distribution.

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