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National drug ‘take back’ day slated for April 25
sj health

Scheduled for Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., San Joaquin County Public Health Services and the San Joaquin County Opioid Safety Coalition will partner with local law enforcement and the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to provide multiple drop-off locations for expired and unwanted tablets, capsules, patches, and other non-injectable forms of prescription drugs. This event provides a safe, anonymous, and environmentally friendly alternative of drug disposal to prevent misuse.

For 16 years, DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has helped Americans safely dispose of unneeded medications — drugs that are old, unwanted, or expired.

Residents can stop by five drop-off sites throughout the county including:

  • Lodi Police Department, 215 W. Elm St., Lodi;
  • Tracy Police Department, 1000 Civic Center Drive, Tracy;
  • Code 3 Wear, 304 Lincoln Center, Stockton;
  • Young’s Payless Market, 18980 CA-88 Lockeford;
  • Stockton Unified School Police Department, 640 N. San Joaquin St., Stockton.

Collection sites will not accept syringes, sharps, and illicit drugs. Information on where these materials can be safely disposed will be provided at each drop-off site.

Additionally, the following should be considered:

  • Pills may be brought in loose, in blister packs, or in their original prescription bottles.
  • Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container with the cap tightly sealed to prevent leakage.
  • Vaping devices and cartridges will be accepted but must have lithium batteries removed.
  • Pet medications will also be accepted.

This initiative addresses an important public safety and public health issue. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Data shows that most abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, particularly home medicine cabinets, so clearing out unused or expired medicine is essential. Prescription medications often end up in the wrong hands, fueling an epidemic that kills more Americans than car accidents, according to the DEA.

This Drug Take Back Day is the 30th nationwide event since its origination back in 2010. This past fall, around 571,054 pounds of unused or expired medications were collected across all collection sites during the October 2025 Drug Take Back Day. In total, Drug Take Back Day has removed more than 20.4 million pounds (10,200 tons) of medication from circulation since its inception. Drug Take Back Day offers free and anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,200 drop-off locations nationwide.

For more information, visit San Joaquin County’s Medication and Sharps Disposal Program’s website (http://bit.ly/3lYFXGr) or the DEA’s year-round collection site locator (bit.ly/3GyQw9W). For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com. Additional information about local overdose prevention resources, like where to get Narcan, help for addiction, and medication and sharps disposal, can be found by visiting the San Joaquin County Opioid Safety Coalition website at www.SJCOpioidSafety.org.