Office of National Drug Control Policy

ONDCP Excel Twenty-Fifth Row

Action Item Number: 
Action Item Name: 
Increase Prescription Return/Take-Back and Disposal Programs
Action Item Description: 

The family medicine cabinet is increasingly a source of drugs that are abused (e.g., the pain pill prescription that was never finished, the tranquilizers that are used occasionally).

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Yet disposing of such medications in a fashion that is simple, legal, and environmentally responsible is a challenge. In some communities, law enforcement professionals and grassroots organizations have held “take-back days” in which such medications are safely collected. At the Federal level, DEA is making efforts through legislative proposals to facilitate the establishment of prescription-controlled substance take-back programs around the country. These grassroots and legislative efforts will be intensified as part of the Administration’s effort to combat prescription drug abuse, and the private sector (e.g., community drugstores) will be engaged as a potential partner in take-back programs. These efforts will also be complemented by activities of several other Federal partners, including the work done by FDA to educate patients and family members on the most appropriate methods of disposal for these products when take-back programs are not available.

Lead Agency: 
DOJ
Component(s): 
DEA