Los Alamos Police Join DEA Drug Take Back Day on April 25

The Los Alamos Police Department will station drive-through drop boxes in the North Parking Lot off Central Avenue on April 25, joining nearly 4,200 law enforcement sites nationwide for the DEA's 30th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Collection runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is free and anonymous: no identification required, no need to remove labels from bottles.

The effort targets a documented pipeline from household medicine cabinets to the illicit drug supply. The DEA's consumer-education resource GetSmartAboutDrugs reports that most people who misuse prescription drugs obtain them from family members, friends, or acquaintances, making the unused bottle sitting in a bathroom cabinet a direct public-safety concern rather than a private inconvenience.

New Mexico's overdose numbers put those risks in stark relief. The state's drug overdose death rate climbed from 30.2 per 100,000 residents in 2019 to 50.6 per 100,000 in 2021, a 68 percent increase in two years, placing New Mexico sixth-highest in the nation. Poisoning has been the leading cause of unintentional injury in the state since 2007, outpacing motor vehicle crash deaths. Between 2010 and 2014, prescription drugs drove 53 percent of New Mexico's drug overdose fatalities, and a 2007 estimate placed the statewide societal cost of prescription opioid abuse and dependence at $890 million. While fentanyl and methamphetamine have since eclipsed prescription drugs as the primary overdose drivers, the stockpile of unused medications in residential homes remains a documented diversion pathway.

The LAPD site will accept tablets, capsules, and patches. Liquid medications such as cough syrup are also accepted if securely sealed in their original container; officers and volunteers will be available to assist with disposal of liquids and creams. Syringes, sharps, and illicit drugs are not accepted. Residents with those items should consult the FDA's website for proper disposal guidance. The department asks that no trash or empty containers be left in the drop boxes.

April 25 marks the 30th Take Back Day since the program launched in fall 2010. Over those 16 years, the DEA and its partners have collectively removed more than 20,391,815 pounds, more than 10,196 tons, of medications from communities across the country. The two most recent events reflect the program's sustained scale: the spring 2025 event yielded approximately 620,000 pounds with nearly 4,500 agencies participating, while the fall 2025 event collected 571,054 pounds from 4,317 collection sites nationwide.

For those who cannot make the April 25 window, more than 16,500 pharmacies, hospitals, and businesses offer year-round safe medication disposal. The nearest location can be found through the DEA's Take Back locator at DEATakeBack.com.