The next DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will be coming on Saturday October 26th,  2024 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Dates for April 2025 and October 2025 will be announced later next year.

The Lake in the Hills Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will provide an opportunity for the public to rid their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to the lower lobby of the Lake in the Hills Police Station (1115 Crystal Lake Road). The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Pills and/or patches will be accepted (no needles/sharps/syringes/liquids or illegal drugs). Vaping devices and cartridges will also be accepted. However, devices containing lithium ion batteries cannot be accepted so be sure to remove the batteries from the devices before turning them in. If the battery cannot be removed, check with large electronic chain stores or local hazardous materials management facility to determine if they will accept the vape pen or e-cigarette devices for proper disposal. 

At its last National Prescription Take Back Day, the DEA collected a record-high amount of expired, unwanted, and unused prescription medications, with the public turning in close to 500 tons of unwanted drugs. Over the 10-year span of National Prescription Take Back Day, DEA has brought in more than 6,800 tons of prescription drugs. With studies indicating a majority of abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets, clearing out unused medicine is essential.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 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. 

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards. 

The FDA also provides information on how to properly dispose of prescription drugs. More information is available here. 

For more information about the Take Back Day event, visit www.DEATakeBack.com.