Gov. Edwards Calls on Louisianans to Participate in National Take Back Day

Press Release

Louisiana is joining with states around the country in National Take Back Day, a national day to ask all Americans to safely dispose of unused medication, on Saturday, April 28, 2018. Businesses, medical offices and first responders around the state are hosting events to dispose of unused medication.

Held twice a year, each Take Back Day sees thousands of pounds of prescription drugs returned, helping to prevent incidents of drug abuse and misuse across the nation. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, 912,305 pounds of prescription drugs were collected during the October 2017 National Take Back Day.

In Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Department of Health are working to also bring an end to the opioid crisis in the state.

"We have deployed a multipronged approach to tackling the opioid crisis in Louisiana and turning in unused and expired prescriptions during National Take Back Day is part of that diverse approach," said Gov. Edwards. "I am encouraging all Louisianans to participate and help spread the word about this practical step toward reducing the number of accessible opioids on our streets."

The governor's decision to expand Medicaid has provided over 18,000 people with access to care for specialized substance use outpatient and residential services, and has decreased the total number of both opioid prescriptions and pills from the year before Medicaid expansion.

According to the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy, which administers the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, the number of opioid prescriptions has decreased 2.08 percent.

In addition, legislation and changes in Medicaid policy have put a limit on the number of days for opioid prescriptions and limited doses.

The Department of Health is working with the Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Council to ensure that state-wide partners are included to address the opioid crisis, recognizing that all agencies in law enforcement, hospital settings, universities, professional organizations, youth-focused groups, parent groups, advocacy groups and community providers at all levels are critical partners.

Additionally, efforts to address prevention education and outreach have been made, providing referrals to treatment, providing evidence-based assessments to place clients into the appropriate level of care, or recovery support services, and education on medication assisted treatment. Naloxone education and distribution have also become a top priority.

"Addressing the opioid problem in our state is a priority for the governor, for myself and the Louisiana Department of Health. National Take Back Day provides an opportunity to remove unused medication from circulation and save lives," said Dr. Rebekah Gee, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.

There are three ways to safely dispose of pills:

Visit https://takebackday.dea.gov/ to find a safe collection site
Drop off at any participating Walgreens or CVS location
Order a free, safe disposal envelope from the National Safety Council at NSC.org/TakeBack

Do not flush or throwaway pills. Costco, CVS and Rite Aid pharmacies sell postage-paid envelopes for customers to mail any prescription, including opioids and over-the-country medications to a disposal facility.

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