Schumer: Across Upstate New York, Opioid Abuse Is Up & Criminals Are Stealing Rx Drugs, But DEA Recently Ended Hugely Successful Drug Take-Back Program -- Schumer Urges DEA To Reverse Decision & Reinstitute National Take-Back Days, Which Safely Collected Hundreds Of Thousands Of Rx Drugs & Helped Save Lives

Press Release

On a conference call with reporters, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to immediately reverse the agency's decision to discontinue their semi-annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days. The DEA Take-Back program regularly collected and safely disposed of hundreds of thousands of prescription drugs from Upstate New Yorkers. In 2014, after Schumer's urging, the DEA finalized regulations that expanded options for the safe disposal of prescription drugs, including allowing for pharmacies and other DEA-approved sites to begin accepting and disposing of controlled substances. However, Schumer said because these pharmacies and hospitals are still developing ways to best provide that service, it is important the DEA continue this critical take-back program so Upstate New Yorkers have places to safely discard prescription drugs. Schumer said now is not the time to eliminate such an effective drug disposal program, especially without widespread adoption by pharmacies and hospitals for other safe disposal methods.

"Prescription drug abuse is a huge issue in across Upstate New York, from college campuses, to neighborhood street corners, and your own medicine cabinet. These painkiller drugs are powerfully addictive, inherently harmful and often lead to abuse of even more harmful drugs like heroin. We must do everything possible to stem this scourge by making sure opportunities for safe disposal are readily available and accessible, so we can keep these dangerous left-over prescriptions off the streets. That is why it is unacceptable the DEA has eliminated an overwhelmingly successful program that has brought in thousands of pounds of unwanted prescriptions over its four years of existence. While the pharmacies and hospitals work to put take-back programs in place on the local level, we cannot pull the carpet out from under them by discontinuing this critical federal resource," said Senator Schumer. "So I am urging the DEA to reverse this decision and reinstate National Take Back Days, which help reduce crime, safely dispose of dangerous drugs and save lives."

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