((COLUMBUS, Ohio)— Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) today thanked Ohio residents for properly disposing of 10.5 tons (21,197 pounds) of prescription drugs during the last Saturday's drug take-back day.
The DEA's National Prescription Drug Take-Back Initiative provides a safe, convenient, and responsible means of prescription drug disposal. Unused prescription drugs in homes create a public health and safety concern because the medications can be accidentally ingested, stolen, misused, and abused.
"We commend those who safely discarded their unneeded prescription drugs this past Saturday, as well as those who participated in previous drug take back events sponsored by the DEA," said Attorney General DeWine. "I have no doubt that lives have been saved by these proactive efforts to prevent drug diversion."
Last weekend's event was the DEA's final anticipated nationwide Take-Back Day due to the DEA's expansion of options available to safely and securely dispose of potentially dangerous prescription medications on a routine basis. Through the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, the DEA has developed new regulations to allow certain DEA registrants, including retail pharmacies and hospitals/clinics with on-site pharmacies, to become authorized collectors of prescription drugs for disposal.
"Since the first National Take-Back Day in September of 2010, the DEA and its partners collected more than 2,100 tons of prescription drugs throughout all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories," said DEA Columbus Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) Timothy Plancon. "We sincerely appreciate the numerous Ohio law enforcement officers and citizens who helped make these events so successful throughout the years."
The new prescription drug disposal regulations go into effect on October 9, 2014. More information is available through the Federal Register.
-30-
Media Contacts:
AGO: Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
AGO: Jill Del Greco: 614-466-3840
DEA: Mark McHugh: 614-255-4192