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Help Promote National Drug Prescription Take Back Day on Oct. 29
By Amy Lynn Sorrel

DEATakeBack2018

Help put a dent in the prescription drug misuse in Texas and around the country by reminding your patients to dispose of unused medications safely and anonymously on Oct. 29, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

As the state grapples with a sharp increase in opioid overdose deaths, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is organizing its biannual nationwide event, where prescription drugs can be returned at collection sites across the state. (Syringes or illegal drugs are not accepted.)

Since the first event in 2010, more than 15 million pounds of prescription drugs have been collected across the country – more than 1 million in Texas – according to DEA. Collection sites may include physicians’ practices, community health centers, hospitals, police stations, schools, and other private businesses.

The Texas Medical Association encourages you to promote the Oct. 29 effort. Here’s how:

  • Find the collection sites near your office and share that information with your colleagues and patients.
  • Download the Partnership Toolbox, which includes posters, pamphlets, banners, and buttons for use in your office or on your website/social media channels.
  • Post the Take Back PSAs on your website or loop the videos on your waiting room TVs.
  • Educate yourself and your patients on safe medication disposal, as well as treatment options for those struggling with addiction. 

According to the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than 9 million people aged 12 and above misused prescription pain relievers like hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, and prescription fentanyl. The most common source for obtaining these drugs was from a friend or relative. 

TMA and the Texas Pain Society testified before the Texas House Committee on Public Health in September, offering lawmakers several recommendations to curb deaths from illegal opioids. 

Last Updated On

October 26, 2022

Originally Published On

October 22, 2019

Related Content

Controlled substances | Opioids

Amy Lynn Sorrel

Associate Vice President, Editorial Strategy & Programming
Division of Communications and Marketing

(512) 370-1384
amy.sorrel[at]texmed[dot]org  
Amy Sorrel

Amy Lynn Sorrel has covered health care policy for nearly 20 years. She got her start in Chicago after earning her master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and went on to cover health care as an award-winning writer for the American Medical Association, and as an associate editor and managing editor at TMA. Amy is also passionate about health in general as a cancer survivor, avid athlete, traveler, and cook. She grew up in California and now lives in Austin with her Aggie husband and daughter.

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