4/23/2024
DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
KA ʻOIHANA O KA LOIO KUHINA
JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR
KE KIAʻĀINA
ANNE LOPEZ
ATTORNEY GENERAL
LOIO KUHINA
News Release 2024-19
ATTORNEY GENERAL PARTNERS WITH DEA AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCIES ON NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE BACK DAY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2024
HONOLULU, HI – The Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General is partnering with
the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); the Hawaiʻi Department of Law
Enforcement Narcotics Enforcement Division; and local law enforcement agencies to
participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
Anyone with expired or unused medications is encouraged to bring them to the
collection sites located on Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, and Hawaiʻi island on:
Saturday, April 27, 2024
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
National Take Back Initiatives (NTBIs) are conducted twice a year and are free and
anonymous services to the public – no questions asked. Tablets, capsules, liquids, and
other forms of medication will be accepted. Everything can be kept in its original
container. No labels need to be removed. Vaping devices will also be accepted, but
batteries must be removed. New or used syringes will not be accepted.
“The National Take Back Initiative supports DEA’s commitment to the health and safety
of all residents in Hawaiʻi. “I encourage everyone to remove any unused and expired
medications from their homes for drop-off at designated collection sites located
throughout the state on April 27,” said DEA Honolulu District Office Assistant Special
Agent in Charge Victor Vazquez. “The results of these semi-annual take back events
have been substantial, with thousands of pounds of unneeded and potentially
dangerous medications being collected and safely destroyed. In addition to these
events, there are also a number of year-round medication drop-off sites that can be
searched by: zip code, city, or state, and people can find their nearest location on the
www.dea.gov website at: https://www.dea.gov/takebackday#resources, or visit
www.hawaiiopioid.org.”
“The National Take Back Initiative provides a safe and a convenient way to dispose of
your unwanted and expired medications. The majority of the take back locations will be
organized as drive-thru locations, which can be found at http://ag.hawaii.gov. These
take backs help to assure residents that those living in their homes will be kept safe
from unintended poisoning and misuse of prescription drugs,” said Valerie Mariano,
branch chief, Community and Crime Prevention, in the Department of the Attorney
General.
“We encourage the community to dispose of their unwanted and unused medications at
this National Take Back Initiative. We can all do our part to keep Hawaiʻi safe from drug
misuse, accidental poisonings, and overdoses,” said Department of Law Enforcement
Deputy Director Jared Redulla.
Unused or expired medicine should be properly disposed of when no longer needed.
• Medicines may lose their effectiveness after the expiration date.
• Improper use of prescription drugs can be as dangerous as illegal drug use.
• Having unused or expired medicine in your home increases the risk of accidental
poisoning. Homes where children or the elderly live are especially vulnerable to
this danger.
• People may mistake one type of medicine for another; or children may mistake
medicine for candy.
Medicine should not be thrown in the trash or flushed down the toilet. Proper
disposal reduces the risk of prescription drugs entering the human water supply or
potentially harming aquatic life.
* * *
Media Contacts:
Dave Day
Special Assistant to the Attorney General
808-586-1284
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov
Toni Schwartz
Public Information Officer
Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General
Office: 808-586-1252
Cell: 808-379-9249
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov
