Chula Vistans with expired, unused, or unwanted prescription drugs may participate in National Drug Take Back Day to dispose of any unwanted prescription medication.
The annual Drug Take Back Day will be held on April 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Otay Ranch Town Center located at 2015 Birch Road, Chula Vista, in the southern parking lot in front of Macy’s. The event is free and anonymous.
According to event organizers, that site cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps; only pills or patches. The event is organized by the City of Chula Vista office of Sustainability, the Chula Vista Police Department, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Too often, unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands and often lead to misuse, abuse, and sometimes death. In October 2022, there were 324 tons of prescription drugs turned in at nearly 5,000 sites operated by the DEA and almost 4,400 of its state and local law enforcement partners.
Since the inception of the National Prescription Drug Takeback initiative in 2021, the DEA and its law enforcement partners have collected 8,318 tons of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications. This annual event isn't the only time unwanted drugs can be properly disposed of.
According to the DEA, there are 11,000 authorized collectors that are available all year long. For more information, visit the DEA’s year-round collection site locator at https://apps.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1 . For more
information about the disposal of prescription drugs or the April 22 Take Back Day event, go
to https://takebackday.dea.gov/.
