WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Over 300 tons of unused or expired prescription drugs were collected on the nationwide National Drug Take Back Day this year.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said it joined 4,306 law enforcement agencies across the country, collecting 642,410 pounds of medications on April 25.
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The DEA’s St. Louis field office reported that 30,000 pounds were collected at 323 drop-off locations in Missouri, Kansas and southern Illinois. In Kansas, 6,562 pounds were collected.
“Roughly 15 tons of medications were safely disposed of within our region,” Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said in a press release. “Community members across Missouri, Kansas and Southern Illinois see value in DEA’s bi-annual Take Back Day event. This is an opportunity to keep harmful products from entering our landfills and waterways, but it’s also a chance to remove substances that have the potential for misuse or abuse. We’re thankful for the support of our community members who showed up and also our law enforcement partners who helped make the event such a success.”
The DEA said since its inception in 2010, the National Drug Take Back days have collected more than 21 million pounds of medications, preventing prescription drug misuse, accidental overdose and poisonings…