2023-49 ATTORNEY GENERAL LOPEZ PARTNERS WITH DEA AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES ON NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE BACK DAY
Posted on Oct 18, 2023 in Latest Department News, NewsroomDEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
KA ʻOIHANA O KA LOIO KUHINA
JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR
ANNE LOPEZ
ATTORNEY GENERAL
News Release 2023-49
ATTORNEY GENERAL LOPEZ PARTNERS WITH DEA AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES ON NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE BACK DAY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 18, 2023
HONOLULU, HI – The Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General is partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Hawaiʻi Department of Public Safety’s Narcotics Enforcement Division, and other local law enforcement agencies to participate in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, which is October 28, 2023.
Anyone with expired or unused medications is encouraged to bring them to the collection sites located on Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, and Hawaiʻi island on:
Saturday, October 28, 2023
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
A list of designated collection sites is attached, or you can visit www.dea.gov/takebackday or www.ag.hawaii.gov to learn more.
National Take Back Initiatives (NTBIs) are conducted twice a year and are free and anonymous services to the public – no questions asked. Tablets, capsules, liquids, and other forms of medication will be accepted. Everything can be kept in its original container. No labels need to be removed. Vaping devices will also be accepted, but batteries must be removed. New or used syringes will not be accepted.
“The National Take Back Initiative provides a safe and convenient way to dispose of your unwanted and expired medications,” says Valerie Mariano, the Department of the Attorney General’s Chief of the Community & Crime Prevention Branch. “The majority of the take back locations will be organized as drive-thru locations. This partnership with DEA, the State Narcotics Enforcement Division, and other law enforcement agencies helps ensure that those living in their homes are kept safe from unintended poisoning and misuse of prescription drugs and keep unused medication out of Hawaii’s ocean and water.”
“The National Take Back Initiative is DEA’s commitment to the health and safety of all residents in Hawaiʻi,” says Victor Vazquez, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Honolulu District Office. “I encourage everyone to remove any unused and expired medications from their homes for drop off at designated collection sites located throughout the state on October 28th. The results of these take back events have been substantial with thousands of pounds of unneeded and potentially dangerous medications being collected and safely destroyed. Please continue to help this effort by having your family and friends join in on these semi-annual take back events.”
“We encourage the community to dispose of their unwanted and unused medications at this National Take Back Initiative,” says Jared Redulla, Administrator, Narcotics Enforcement Division, Department of Public Safety. “We can all do our part to keep Hawaiʻi safe from drug misuse, accidental poisonings, and overdoses.”
Unused or expired medicine should be properly disposed of when no longer needed for which it was prescribed.
- Medicines may lose their effectiveness after the expiration date.
- Improper use of prescription drugs can be as dangerous as illegal drug use.
- Having unused or expired medicine in your home increases the risk of accidental
poisoning. Homes where children or the elderly live are especially vulnerable to
this danger.
- People may mistake one type of medicine for another; or children may mistake
medicine for candy.
Medicine should not be thrown in the trash or flushed down the toilet. Proper disposal reduces the risk of prescription drugs entering the human water supply or potentially harming aquatic life.
Missed the National Take Back Initiative? Go to hawaiiopioid.org or www.dea.gov/takebackday#resources for a list of authorized collection boxes near you.
* * *
Media Contact:
Dave Day
Special Assistant to the Attorney General
(808) 586-1284
Email: ATG.PIO@hawaii.gov
Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov