The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) partnered with the Plano Police Department to host a drug take back at four Plano area high schools on Saturday.
According to Plano PD, the effort on April 22 recovered 49 boxes full of 1,098 pounds of leftover drugs.
Drug take backs are a bi-annual opportunity for citizens to safely dispose of unused pharmaceutical drugs. According to the DEA’s website, the program combats medication misuse and potential opioid abuse.
“DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting,” per the DEA.
Officer Jennifer Chapman of the Plano PD told The Dallas Express that the city hosts take backs every six months and this year’s take back drew hundreds of locals.
“We typically get about the weight of a rhinoceros [of drugs]. It’s a lot,” Chapman explained.
Chapman said that while hundreds come, a few families generally provide the bulk of the drugs.
“One family will bring in a large jug, especially if they’ve had someone in their family who recently passed, cancer drugs and all that stuff that you really can’t use,” she told The Dallas Express.
She said that the program’s purpose is to raise awareness of prescription drug abuse and give citizens a way to safely discard their drugs.
“Basically the idea is to raise awareness of the risk associated behind prescription drug use and opioid use and it allows people to dispose of their medication in a proper way instead of sending it to the sewer system or a landfill,” she explained.
She said that the next take back event will take place in another six months.
According to the American Public Health Association, 40 Americans die every day from narcotic prescription medication overdoses. This highlights the importance of take back programs.
The last nationwide drug take back day held in October 2022 saw the participation of 4,340 law enforcement agencies. They collectively yielded 324 tons of leftover prescription drugs, per the DEA.
The nationwide results of April’s drug take back day have yet to be released.
To find a collection site near you, check the DEA site here.
