Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features the DEA’s announcement that its 24th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will occur across the country tomorrow, April 22. The event offers anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide.
The DEA has noted that opioid misuse remains at epidemic levels in the United States, and unneeded medications can be a gateway to addiction. According to a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a majority of people who use a prescription medication for a nonmedical purpose obtained that medication from a family member or friend. Additionally the CDC estimates that approximately 107,735 American lives were lost to drug poisoning between August 2021 and August 2022.