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MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The results of this fall’s Drug Take Back program are in, the Wisconsin Department of Justice announced Tuesday. Wisconsin collected the most unwanted medication in the country, officials said. North Dakota collected the least. Among Wisconsin’s 306 collection sites and 258 participating law enforcement agencies, a total of 53,498 pounds of unwanted medication were collected and properly disposed of on the 29th National Take Back Day, which took place on Oct. 25. The Drug Enforcement Administration hosts two take back days a year, with one in the spring and one in the fall. In Wisconsin, the Department of Justice partners with the Department of Health Services to ensure that Wisconsinites have a safe, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of unwanted medications. They also work to educate the community on the dangers of potential abuse and improper storage of medications. Since National Drug Take Back Day began in 2010, Wisconsinites have turned in a total of 1,422,970 pounds of unwanted medications—the third most in the nation, behind Texas and California. Nationwide, over 20,000,000 pounds of medication have been collected. “Wisconsin’s continued success with Drug Take Back is really extraordinary,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “Thank you to the partners around the state whose efforts have helped make this such an outstanding program in Wisconsin.” If you missed this year’s Drug Take Back Days, never fear. Wisconsin has over 500 year-round, permanent drug disposal boxes. To find your nearest permanent drop off site, click here. Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.
