Ahead of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Attorney General Bonta Encourages Californians to Dispose of Unused, Expired, and Unneeded Prescription Medication This Saturday

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today urged Californians to participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, April 27, 2024. The effort, led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in partnership with local law enforcement agencies, aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, including opioids, while educating the public about the potential for abuse of prescription drug medications. According to the California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard, there were 7,385 opioid overdose-related deaths in California in 2022.

“Californians can help stop the epidemic of drug overdoses during Prescription Drug Take Back Day,” said Attorney General Bonta. “By safely disposing of unused medications, we can prevent drug misuse and accidental poisoning while safeguarding our water sources and ecosystems by avoiding improper disposal of medications. It’s a simple yet impactful way to protect our loved ones, and I strongly encourage all Californians to drop off unwanted medications at safe disposal sites in your community this Saturday.”

On Saturday, April 27, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., communities throughout California will host sites to collect unwanted, unused, or expired prescription drugs. This service is free and anonymous. For more information and to find the closest collection site to you, please visit takebackday.dea.gov.

In October, during the 25th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Californians dropped off 27,988 pounds of prescription drugs at 216 collection sites throughout the state. Nationwide, consumers returned nearly 600,000 pounds during the 25th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. In total, nearly 1,372,361 pounds of prescription drugs have been collected in California since the program began in 2010.

Attorney General Bonta is unwavering in his commitment to protect California communities and fight the opioid crisis as well as the fentanyl epidemic. To date, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) has secured over $48 billion through nationwide settlements, including up to $4.25 billion for California, bringing needed funding back to communities for treatment and prevention strategies. Attorney General Bonta is addressing the fentanyl epidemic head-on through an all-in, multifaceted approach using ongoing enforcement, litigation, and effective public policy strategies for prevention. DOJ works with law enforcement partners to take fentanyl out of communities and hold poison peddlers accountable. DOJ’s Fentanyl Enforcement Program, created by the Attorney General, has been working to interrupt networks of drug traffickers. As of March 2024, DOJ has seized a total of 11,629,902 fentanyl pills, 3,392 pounds of fentanyl powder and have arrested 280 suspects on fentanyl related charges. In addition to these ongoing efforts, last month, Attorney General Bonta received a briefing on fentanyl trafficking from federal and local law enforcement partners and toured the California-Mexico border, continuing his focus cracking down on trafficking of illicit fentanyl into California communities.