YORK — To fight prescription drug misuse, National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day creates convenient ways to dispose of medication that could otherwise be misused.

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 this week to encourage Pennsylvanians to take part in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day initiative April 26.

The DEA has offered National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day since 2010. In addition to the DEA’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Days, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration offers year-round opportunities to dispose of medication through DDAP’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Program locations.

“Every day is a takeback 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.”

Program representatives said that since the inception of Pennsylvania’s drug takeback 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 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.

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.

During the most recent National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in October 2024, the DEA collected nearly 27,000 pounds of unused medication in Pennsylvania alone across 259 collection sites.

For more information on National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, visit takebackday.dea.gov.

Find one of Pennsylvania’s yearround drug take-back locations at ddap.pa.gov/ drugtakeback.