ATG NEWS RELEASE: ATTORNEY GENERAL, DEA, DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES PARTNER FOR NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE BACK DAY

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

JOSH GREEN, M.D.

GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

KA ʻOIHANA O KA LOIO KUHINA

ANNE LOPEZ

ATTORNEY GENERAL

LOIO KUHINA

ATTORNEY GENERAL, DEA, DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES PARTNER FOR NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE BACK DAY  

News Release 2025-90

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       

October 21, 2025

HONOLULU – The Department of the Attorney General is partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Hawai‘i Department of Law Enforcement (DLE), Narcotics Enforcement Division; and local law enforcement agencies in the semi-annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

The event will be on Saturday, October 25, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Anyone with expired or unused medications is encouraged to bring them to the drive-through collection sites on Oʻahu, Maui, and Kauaʻi. (Go to http://ag.hawaii.gov for a list of locations) 

The Take Backs are conducted twice a year and are free and anonymous services to the public – no questions asked. Tablets, capsules, liquids and other forms of medication will be accepted. Everything can be kept in its original container. Labels do not need to be removed. Vaping devices will also be accepted, but batteries must be removed. New or used syringes will not be accepted.

“The National Take Back Initiative demonstrates DEA’s commitment to promoting the health and safety of Hawaiʻi residents,” says Jerome Souza, Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Honolulu District Office. “The results of past DEA take back events are substantial, with thousands of pounds of unneeded, potentially dangerous medications being collected and safely destroyed. Through collaborative education and action, we can save lives.”

“The Department of Law Enforcement encourages everyone to participate in this year’s National Drug Take Back Day. This is a great time to clear your medicine cabinets at home of any unused or unwanted medications and this program ensures that those medications will never be misused,” said Jared Redulla, DLE deputy director for Law Enforcement.

“Collecting unused and expired medications keeps it out of the environment. Let’s work together to keep Hawaiʻi safe from prescription drugs entering our land and ocean,” says Valerie Mariano, branch chief, Community and Crime Prevention Branch, Department of the Attorney General. 

Medicine should not be thrown in the trash or flushed down the toilet. Proper

disposal reduces the risk of prescription drugs entering the human water supply or potentially harming aquatic life. The following are reasons why proper disposal is important:

• Medicines may lose their effectiveness after the expiration date.
• People may mistake one type of medicine for another, or children may mistake

            medicine for candy.

• Having unused or expired medicine in your home increases the risk of accidental

            poisoning. Homes where children or the elderly live are especially vulnerable to

            this danger.

• Improper use of prescription drugs can be as dangerous as illegal drug use.

Go to http://ag.hawaii.gov for a list of the October 25 Take Back locations in Hawai‘i. There are a number of year-round medication drop-off sites in Hawaiʻi. To find the nearest location visit: https://www.dea.gov/takebackday#resources, or www.hawaiiopioid.org. For drug education materials for families, schools and organizations, please visit: Together for Families | DEA.gov

# # # 

Media contacts:

Dave Day

Special Assistant to the Attorney General

Office: 808-586-1284                                                  

Email: [email protected]        

Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov

Toni Schwartz
Public Information Officer
Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General
Office: 808-586-1252
Cell: 808-379-9249
Email: [email protected]