The Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General is collaborating with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Hawaiʻi Department of Law Enforcement (DLE), Narcotics Enforcement Division, and local law enforcement agencies for the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. This initiative aims to prevent the abuse and misuse of prescription drugs by encouraging residents to dispose of expired or unused medications.
The event will take place on Saturday, October 26, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at drive-thru collection sites across Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, and Hawaiʻi islands. The service is free and anonymous, accepting tablets, capsules, liquids, and other forms of medication without requiring label removal. Vaping devices are also accepted if batteries are removed; however, syringes will not be collected.
"The National Take Back Initiative is part of DEA’s ongoing commitment to promote the health and safety of all Hawaiʻi residents," stated DEA Honolulu District Assistant Special Agent in Charge Victor Vazquez. He emphasized that these events result in thousands of pounds of potentially dangerous medications being safely destroyed.
Jared Redulla, DLE Deputy Director, urged public participation by saying: "The Department of Law Enforcement wants to encourage the public to turn in unused or unwanted medications at any of the community take back locations."
Valerie Mariano from the Community and Crime Prevention Branch highlighted environmental concerns: "This is a great opportunity to rid unused and expired medications from your home... Let’s work together to keep Hawaiʻi safe from prescription drugs entering our land and ocean."
Proper disposal methods are crucial as medicines should not be thrown away or flushed due to potential environmental harm.