National Drug Take-Back Day
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s 20th National Drug Take-Back Day is Saturday, April 24, 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic has been with us for over a year. The link between COVID-19 and National Drug Take-Back Day is significant. According to the CDC, “the U.S. has seen an increase in overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 83,544 Americans overdosing during the 12-month period ending July 1, 2020, the most ever recorded in a 12-month period. The increase in drug overdose deaths appeared to begin prior to the COVID-19 health emergency, but accelerated significantly during the first months of the pandemic.”
As a member of our valued community, your leadership is needed. Please urge family and friends to visit the DEA’s website: (https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html) to locate by zip code their nearest collection site.
For the safety of participants disposing of drugs and law enforcement managing the events, all Drug Take-Back Day sites in the Commonwealth will adhere to local COVID-19 safety guidelines. Drugs brought to these locations will be disposed of in an environmentally friendly and safe manner.
This year, many people may not be aware they can safely dispose of prescription drugs forgotten in their medicine cabinet which may be susceptible to diversion and abuse. Please join me to spread the word that National Drug Take-Back Day is a safe, convenient, responsible way to dispose of unused prescriptions and other drugs.
For more information please contact Ralph Orr, Director of the Virginia Prescription Monitoring Program at 804-367-4514, or by email at pmp@dhp.virginia.