AG Moody Urges Floridians to Help Fight Opioid Epidemic

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is urging Floridians to help fight the opioid epidemic by participating in the 20th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. This event occurs biannually and is an opportunity for Floridians to properly dispose of unused, unwanted or expired prescription drugs or controlled substances. By properly disposing of unwanted or expired pharmaceuticals, the supply of drugs available for people to misuse decreases and drug abuse, addiction and overdose deaths can be averted.

Attorney General Moody, on Wednesday, joined the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office to preview a take-back location in the Tampa Bay area. Drug Take-Back Day will take place on April 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at locations across Florida.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “The opioid crisis continues to ravage our state, claiming close to 17 lives each day. By Floridians taking stock of their medicine cabinets and bringing their unused or expired pharmaceuticals to take-back locations, we can prevent even more deaths. I am asking every Floridian to please participate in Drug Take-Back Day and help keep addictive opioids and controlled substances from falling into the wrong hands.”

In 2017, the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration reported that more than 50% of youth, ages 12 to 17, who reported using drugs stated that the prescription drugs most recently misused were obtained from a friend or relative.

The DEA coordinates drug take-back days with state and local law enforcement. Floridians can learn more about National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day by visiting TakeBackDay.DEA.gov.

Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, there was only one drug take-back day last year, on Oct. 24, 2020. The October 2020 Drug Take-Back Day collected 985,392 pounds of medication—the largest amount ever collected in the program’s 10-year history. This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by the DEA since 2010 to more than 13.5 million pounds.

In Florida alone, more than 38,000 pounds of medications were collected at last year’s Drug Take-Back Day, with more than 440,000 pounds collected since 2010.

To view more data from the October 2020 Drug Take-Back Day, click here.

Fighting the opioid epidemic is one of Attorney General Moody’s top priorities. To provide Floridians with more information about opioid addiction and to provide resources for support, the Attorney General’s Office created the Dose of Reality Florida website. For year-round take-back locations and other tips to fight opioid abuse, visit this statewide resource at DoseofRealityFL.com.