Full Notification

The Wilmington Police Department will participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on October 26.
 
Wilmington Police will be collecting unneeded and expired prescription medications on Saturday, October 26 in front of Frawley Stadium on the Riverfront, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
 
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, “Unneeded prescription medication – those that are old, unwanted, or no longer needed – are a public safety issue, too often becoming a gateway to addiction. The majority of opioid addictions start with prescription pills found in medicine cabinets at home. Pharmaceutical drugs can be just as dangerous as street drugs when taken without a prescription or a doctor’s supervision.”
 
This nationwide initiative seeks to provide a convenient opportunity for the anonymous disposal of unneeded medications. This collection will mark the sixth DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Day initiative that the Wilmington Police Department has participated in, following successful collection events in April and October of 2022 and 2023, as well as April 2024.
 
“Unused or expired prescription medications can pose a serious public safety and public health risk, leading to overdose, abuse and accidental poisoning,” said Sgt. Joseph Leary, commanding officer of the WPD Support Services Division. “This national collection event is a great way to raise awareness of the importance of properly disposing of unneeded prescription medication.”
 
A permanent collection bin is also located in the lobby of the Wilmington Police Department’s headquarters at 300 North Walnut Street. A safe syringe disposal box is also located in the lobby of our building.
 
For more information on this DEA initiative, including a searchable database of all collection sites, visit https://www.dea.gov/takebackday.
 
For more information on prescription drug abuse, you can visit www.DEA.gov, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com, and www.JustThinkTwice.com.