Welcome to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency

 

20^th National Prescription Take Back Day

 

Saturday, April 24 | 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

 

DEA's National Take Back Day gives Americans the opportunity to clean out their medicine cabinets and turn in — safely and anonymously — unused prescription drugs.

 

In 2020 alone, Americans returned 985,392 lbs (492.7 tons) of unused prescription drugs at 4,487 Collection Sites across the country.

 

2,790 tons of drugs have been collected during the National Take Back Day events since 2016

Find a Drop-Off Location Near You

 

Collection sites will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations in order to maintain the safety of all participants and local law enforcement.

 

• Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue, leading to accidental poisoning, overdose, and abuse.
• Pharmaceutical drugs can be just as dangerous as street drugs when taken without a prescription or a doctor’s supervision.
• The non-medical use of prescription drugs ranks second only to marijuana as the most common form of drug abuse in America.

• A majority of misused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, often from the home and medicine cabinet.

• Unused prescription drugs thrown in the trash can be retrieved and abused or illegally sold.
• Unused drugs that are flushed contaminate the water supply.
• Proper disposal of unused drugs saves lives and protects the environment.
• Take-back programs are the best way to dispose of old drugs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sincerely,

Roy E. McKinney, Director MDEA