BOISE, Idaho — This Saturday, April 22, will mark the 24th National Drug Take Back Day. This event allows Idaho residents to drop off unused or expired prescription medications at multiple Take Back Day collection sites for safe disposal.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. across Idaho. To find a Take Back Day site near you, use the locator tool at www.dea.gov/takebackday.
Idaho is not immune to the issue of prescription abuse. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that approximately 55,000 Idahoans aged 12 and older had misused prescription drugs between 2019-2020.
Additionally, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reports 353 overdose-related deaths and 5,058 overdose-related emergency hospital visits in 2021.
To combat this, the Drug Enforcement Administration began the initiative in 2010 in response to the drug overdose epidemic in the United States. The DEA believes that removing unneeded or expired medications from the home can prevent opioid addictions from ever starting.
The initiative has been successful in the past, with the last National Drug Take Back Day disposing of over 8,000 tons of unwanted or expired drugs in October 2022.
The DEA and the Idaho Office of Drug Policy encourage Idahoans to take advantage of this event and help prevent drug misuse in Idaho's future.
