Springfield Police Collect 815 lbs. of Prescription Drugs on DEA Drug Take Back Day
Springfield, Mass. — Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood is pleased to announce the results of the most recent National Drug Take Back Day. On Saturday April 30th at Central High School, the Springfield Police Department, in conjunction with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), collected 815 pounds of expired, unwanted or unused prescription drugs.
National Drug Take Back Day is a biannual, free, no-questions-asked event that gives the community the opportunity to aid in the fight against substance use disorder by disposing of potentially dangerous drugs.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in 2020 an estimated 9.3 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 5.1 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 6.2 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives.
“The drug take-back event is an important initiative that allows residents to easily get rid of medications with no questions asked, and helps us to take potentially dangerous drugs out of our community, preventing them from being misused and causing harm,” Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood said.
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno states, “This is a great example of positive partnerships between our Springfield Police Department, DEA and the community to address substance abuse and addiction prevention while helping to remove potentially dangerous, expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs. I commend Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood and her team at SPD and the DEA for coming together and creating this opportunity for our residents to safely dispose of these unneeded drugs.”
During the April 2021 take back event, Springfield Police and the DEA collected more than 575 pounds of old, unused or expired prescription drugs.
Several Waste Medication Kiosks are regularly available in the Springfield area and can be found via the interactive map here.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs, about this month’s Take Back Day or for complete results from past Take Back Day events, visit www.DEATakeBack.com.
