National Prescription Drug Take Back Day April 2024: Northbrook

NORTHBROOK, IL — Twice a year, the Drug Enforcement Administration, along with thousands of law enforcement partners across the United States, hold National Prescription Take Back Day events. The last event, held on Oct 28, 2023, resulted in the collection of 599,897 pounds of unneeded medications at 4,675 collection sites nationwide.

Locally, many police departments took part in the collection, including Northbrook. In Illinois, 23,974 pounds of drugs were collected, across 139 sites.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the majority of people who use prescription medication for a nonmedical purpose obtained the medication from a family member or a friend. The DEA believes removing unnecessary medications from the home "can help prevent situations involving; not taking medication as intended or dosed; taking someone else’s prescription; and taking the medicine for euphoric effects rather than medicinal purposes."

This Saturday, as part of the 26th event, a number of local police departments will be collecting the unwanted prescription drugs between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., including:

• Northbrook Police Department, 1401 Landwehr Road, Northbrook