SoCal agencies accept unwanted, unused drugs for 'Drug Takeback Day'

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles and Orange County residents safely got rid of expired, unused, or unwanted drugs on Saturday at multiple locations during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) partnered with 4,500 locations nationwide to take back any unwanted, expired, or unused drugs.

Eyewitness News caught up with some Burbank residents who participated in the event on Saturday.

"Get rid of them. Get them out of my house. If I'm not taking them, I don't need them," said Bonnie Waterhouse.

The CDC says drug overdose is one of the leading causes of death for people between 18 and 44.

In 2023, more than 110,000 people died from drug poisonings and drug-related deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. DEA officials said that according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a majority of people who misused a prescription medication obtained it from a relative or friend.

The most common drugs misused are painkillers like Vicodin or Codeine, as well as depressants, like Xanax and Valium.

"There's times where there's prescription drugs in the home, it definitely avails to, especially teenagers, that opportunity to maybe have access to drugs they should not have," said Deputy Special Agent in Charge for DEA Los Angeles, Robert Saccone.

Doctors say these drugs could have detrimental effects on one's health, including addiction, organ damage, and potentially death.

"Prescription medications can be very difficult to predict how dangerous they are if people take them when they're not prescribed specifically for them," said David Streem, the medical director of the Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center at the Cleveland Clinic.

Not only does a buy-back get drugs out of medicine cabinets, but it also gives people a way to get rid of their medications without flushing them down a toilet or hurting the environment.

"I think it's bad to be putting stuff into the trash, it gets into the groundwater and stuff like that, and I think it needs to be handled properly. Plus, you don't want anybody getting into it if it gets out there somehow," said Herb Meyerowitz, who participated in the buyback.

During the last Take Back Day in October, DEA officials said 314 tons of unwanted medications were collected nationwide. Since the Take Back program began in 2010, roughly 9,600 tons have been collected.

City News Service contributed to this report.