Since Pennsylvania’s program began 10 years ago, 750 tons – the weight of nearly 30 fire trucks – of prescription medication has been destroyed across the 887 take-back boxes in Pennsylvania.
York, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), and Department of Aging (PDA) joined officials from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and York County to encourage Pennsylvanians to take part in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day initiative on Saturday, April 26.
The DEA has offered National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day since 2010 with the goal of fighting prescription drug misuse by creating convenient ways to dispose of medication that could otherwise be misused.
In addition to the DEA’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Days, the Shapiro Administration offers year-round opportunities to dispose of medication through DDAP’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Program locations.
“Every day is a take-back day in Pennsylvania. In addition to the DEA’s boxes on April 26, there are nearly 900 DDAP drug take-back boxes available throughout Pennsylvania year-round for residents to use, including at buildings throughout the Shapiro Administration,” said DDAP Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones. “Our goal is to get rid of all the expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications in a safe, secure manner. It’s one of our strongest substance use disorder prevention efforts.”
Since the inception of Pennsylvania’s drug take-back program in 2015, more than 1.5 million pounds – or 750 tons – of prescription medication have been destroyed across 67 Pennsylvania counties. That’s the weight of approximately 30 fire trucks.
DDAP partners with additional agencies in the Shapiro Administration, including the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) and Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), to collect and destroy medications that are dropped off at the agency’s take-back boxes.
The PSP aims to provide a safe and convenient means of disposal year-round by collecting unwanted prescription medications at 65 stations across the Commonwealth. No personal information is required, and drop-off boxes are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More than 4,000 pounds of medications were collected at PSP stations in 2024.
“The Pennsylvania State Police is committed to keeping dangerous drugs out of our communities. We have a multi-faceted approach, from education and prevention to interdiction and enforcement,” said PSP Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris. “Do your part to make sure prescription drugs do not end up in the wrong hands or used the wrong way by disposing of them responsibly.”
The DMVA’s Counterdrug Joint Task Force (CJTF) isoperated bythePennsylvaniaNationalGuard(PNG) and, along with narcotics agents fromthe Attorney General’s office, is responsible for collecting and weighing discarded prescriptiondrugs through Pennsylvania’sdrug take-back program. In addition, the CJTF provides counterdrug support and training to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, community-based organizations, and educational and government organizations that request assistance at no cost to the agency supported. The PNG is part of the DMVA’s dual mission, which also includes supporting Pennsylvania’s nearly 700,000 veterans.
“The Pennsylvania National Guard is always ready, always there to serve our Commonwealth and nation,” said Maj. Gen. John Pippy, Pennsylvania’s Adjutant General and head of the DMVA. “We are in a unique position to safely and securely dispatch guard members with secure vehicles to collection points throughout the Commonwealth. We work with DEA agents to weigh and load the prescription drugs and transport them to EPA certified incinerators. We are proud of the support we provide on Drug Take-Back Day, and equally proud of the citizens of Pennsylvania who diligently take the time to properly dispose of their unused prescription drugs.”
“One of the reasons I ran for Attorney General was to be in a position to assist communities across the Commonwealth that are impacted by the opioid crisis,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “Drug take-back efforts are essential in getting dangerous drugs off the street because they provide education to people who may not realize their outdated or unused prescriptions could be harmful. I encourage Pennsylvanians to take this opportunity to dispose of prescription drugs in a safe manner and ensure those medications do not end up in the wrong hands.”
Today’s event was held at the York City Police Department, which houses one of DDAP’s drug take-back boxes. Currently, there are 20 such drug take-back boxes throughout York County within several police departments and pharmacies.
«We are proud to stand as a partner with DDAP and happy to do our part, serving as a preventative resource for this community,” said York City Police Commissioner Michael Muldrow. “Our children, our households, and our neighborhoods are safer when we dispose of unused, unneeded, or expired medications properly».
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 88 percent of adults 65 and older report they are currently taking prescription medicine and older adults are also more likely to be taking multiple prescription medications. This can lead to a higher rate of exposure to potentially addictive medications. The increased availability of prescription medication in the homes of older adults makes it vitally important to regularly clean out and dispose of old, unwanted, or unneeded prescription medication.
“An older adult’s prescription needs may change over time, resulting in either taking a different medication or stopping a particular one altogether. This could generate unused or unwanted prescriptions that remain in their home and potentially get into the wrong hands, leading to misuse, developing a substance use disorder or lethal overdose,” said Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich. “To protect both the older adults and the persons who may come across those prescriptions, we encourage everyone to consider the risks and to take proper action to discard those unused or unwanted medications.”
During the most recent National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in October 2024, the DEA collected nearly 27,000pounds of unused medication in Pennsylvania alone across 259 collection sites.
For more information on National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, visit takebackday.dea.gov.
You can find one of Pennsylvania’s year-round drug take-back locations at ddap.pa.gov/drugtakeback.
