Prescription Opioids Diversion, Minnesota 2023

Every year, more than 70,000 Americans die from drug overdoses — a death toll so vast it could fill Minnesota’s U.S. Bank Stadium and still leave 4,000 more bodies unaccounted for. At the heart of this crisis: prescription opioids, often diverted from the very homes meant to protect us. Now, federal authorities are sounding the alarm and calling on Minnesotans to act before another life is lost to misuse or addiction.

On Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the DEA and its partners will host the 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day at over 6,000 sites nationwide — including 116 across Minnesota. Residents can drop off expired, unused, or unwanted prescription medications at no cost and without fear of exposure. The service is anonymous. But the DEA will not accept liquids, needles, or sharp objects — underscoring both the urgency and limits of the effort.

Since 2010, the initiative has collected nearly 11 million pounds of unused medications. In Minnesota alone, 48 counties are participating, with drop-off locations on Bois Forte, Leech Lake, Lower Sioux, Upper Sioux, and White Earth Reservations. This broad reach reflects the epidemic’s grip on both urban and tribal communities, where access to treatment remains uneven and the shadow of addiction looms large.

“In Minnesota, 2,503 people died of opioid overdose between 2014 and 2017,” said DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Richard Salter Jr. “These were mothers, fathers, children, friends and neighbors in our communities who didn’t need to die.” His words cut through bureaucracy, landing like a gut punch: most abusers get their pills for free — from friends, family, and medicine cabinets left unsecured.

U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald added, “I encourage Minnesotans to take an active role in ending the opioid epidemic by safely and responsibly disposing of their unused prescription medications.” One cabinet cleared, one bottle surrendered — it might be the difference between life and a fatal dose for someone struggling in silence.

To find a nearby drop-off location, visit www.DEATakeBack.com or call 1-800-882-9539. This isn’t just cleanup duty — it’s frontline defense in a war that’s already taken too many.

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