During last month's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, communities all around the country were asked to turn in unused and expired over-the-counter medications.
This event works to dispose of unneeded medication safely in order to prevent potential accidents and misuse. Medications that get flushed down the toilet or thrown into the trash can contaminate water systems and threaten wildlife.
National Drug Take Back Day is run by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) of the United States in an effort to combat the ongoing overdose epidemic.
This year, DEA and its law enforcement partners were able to collect 599,897 pounds of unused and expired medication from 4,675 collection sites.
The Rocky Mountain Field Divison alone collected 18,500 pounds of unneeded medications from 200 sites across Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming.
The following is a breakdown of the amount of surrendered medication per state:
- Utah - 8,165 pounds
- Colorado - 7,988 pounds
- Wyoming - 1,232 pounds
- Montana - 1,109 pounds
- Tribal lands - 10 pounds
For over a decade, the DEA's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has removed almost 17.9 million pounds of unused and expired medication from communities across the country.____
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