RELEASE: AG Labrador Promotes National Prescription Drug Take Back Day to Combat Opioid Abuse

For Immediate Release
October 22, 2026
Media Contact: Dan Estes

BOISE, ID — Attorney General Raúl Labrador is promoting community awareness and participation in the upcoming October 24th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its state and local partners. This initiative provides easy, anonymous opportunities to remove unused, expired, or leftover medicines in the home that are highly susceptible to misuse and theft. Collection sites across Idaho will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. this Saturday.

“Drug abuse has been a plague in our communities and the costs to society are plain to see,” said Attorney General Labrador. “Often, addiction can begin with abuse of prescriptions in the home. Idahoans can make a big difference by getting these unused or expired pills out of the house and stopping that easy gateway to addiction.”

All prescription drugs will be accepted at this event, as well as over-the-counter and veterinary medications. The Take Back Day collection site will also accept vape pens, cartridges, or other e-cigarette devices (without the batteries in the device). Needles will not be accepted.

Nationally, almost 14 million Americans over the age of 12 misused prescription drugs in 2025, with opioids and painkillers being the highest category of misused drugs. In 2022, an estimated 40,000 Idahoans aged 12 and older misused prescription pain relievers. Results from the 2021 Idaho Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that nearly 14% of Idaho 9-12th graders reported they had misused a prescription drug one or more times in their life, and Idaho’s reported youth abuse of prescription drugs was more than double the national average. While a majority of Idaho youth did not report misusing prescription drugs, of those that did, over 40% took or received them from a family member or friend, and nearly 75% misused the medication in their own home.

Since 2023, the Idaho Attorney General’s Office has recovered more than $127 million for Idaho in lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies that aggressively marketed prescription opioids despite knowing their products were dangerously addictive.

If you miss your local Take Back Day and need to dispose of prescription medications, find a year-round drop-off location online at Idaho’s Office of Drug Policy.

To learn more about National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, please visit the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website at www.dea.gov/takebackday.

About Raúl Labrador

Raúl Labrador is the 33rd Attorney General of Idaho. The Office of the Attorney General provides legal representation for the State of Idaho. This representation is furnished to state agencies, offices and boards in the furtherance of the state's legal interests. The office is part of state government’s executive branch and its duties are laid out in the Idaho Constitution.

• Web
|
• More Posts(292)