The National Take Back Initiative is a program in the United States that allows people to return extra or outdated medicines. These events happen twice each year, once in the spring and once in the fall. The program is organized by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Drug take-back programs help protect the environment by preventing unused medicines from being thrown away in ways that harm the planet. A goal of the program is to stop people from flushing medicines down the toilet, which can pollute water. Local wastewater treatment plants are not built to remove medicines from water, so these medicines often flow into rivers, lakes, or other water sources without being cleaned.

Background

In 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, enough prescription drugs were given out to treat every American adult for one month nonstop. Some of these prescription and over-the-counter medicines break down at home and are easily taken or used in the wrong way. According to the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more Americans misuse prescription drugs than use cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin, and inhalants all together. Studies show that most teenagers who misuse prescription drugs get them for free from family members or friends, often from medicine cabinets at home. Throwing away medicines incorrectly can create dangers for people and harm the environment.

Legislation and national policy

Four days after the DEA’s first Take-Back Day on September 25, 2010, Congress approved an amendment to the Controlled Substances Act. This action allowed the DEA to create a permanent process for people to safely and conveniently dispose of prescription drugs. President Barack Obama signed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, and the DEA quickly began developing rules for a long-term solution.

The DEA’s Take-Back events are part of the President’s strategy to prevent prescription drug abuse, called "Epidemic: Responding to America’s Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis," created by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. One of the four main goals of this strategy is to remove unused or expired medications from medicine cabinets in American homes. Other goals include educating the public and healthcare providers. This system also requires all states to establish prescription drug monitoring programs.

Current operation

In April 2021, the program said it collected 420 short tons (equal to 380,000 kilograms) of drugs from 5,060 locations across the country.