Skip to main content
Michigan OPEN

Take Back Events

 

Community opioid and medication take back events provide a safe process for disposing of unused opioids and other prescription medications while protecting our communities, children, and environment. Increasing safe and convenient opportunities for community members to dispose of their unused and leftover medications is essential for preventing opioid misuse before it begins.

OPEN hosts biannual take back events in the spring and fall. Through partnerships with law enforcement and community health organizations, we are able to support locations across the state of Michigan.

Join our Next Event!

 

Why Host a Take Back Event?

Prevention is key. To turn the tide of the opioid epidemic, we need to prevent misuse before it begins. Creating safe and convenient opportunities for community members to dispose of their unused and leftover medications is essential. Community take back events are one of the safest and most environmentally-friendly means of disposing unneeded medications. Take back events are a great opportunity for community organizations and individuals to come together to make a difference in their local community. These events not only remove unused medications, they provide an opportunity to educate the public on safe storage and disposal of prescription medications.

How Do I Host a Take Back Event?

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) selects a day in the spring and the fall to host nationwide events. OPEN partners with local communities in Michigan to support events; we offer educational resources, guidance on planning, and even financial support where possible. OPEN is a great resource to advise on planning and implementation processes. It is the event organizer’s responsibility to seek additional information where required, ensure that all approvals have been obtained, and adherence to all Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulations. OPEN provides our free, downloadable Medication Take Back Event Guide to outline each step of the event planning process from start to finish, along with a timeline and sample budget.

 

Take Back Event Success

Spring 2022 Event Photo Gallery

Related News

May 5, 2022

OPEN Partnered to Host Take Back Events in 32 Communities Around the State on April 30, 2022

Ann Arbor – On Saturday, April 30, Michigan residents in 16 counties had a chance to get opioids and other unused and expired prescription medications out of their medicine cabinets through 32 simultaneous events held around the state. The collective effort resulted in hundreds of families safely removing a total of over 2000 pounds of […]
Nov 5, 2021

Fall 2021 Take Back Event a Success!

Michigan OPEN hosted its fall Take Back Event on Saturday, October 23th with 40 sites participating across the state. 39,420 opioids and 2,032 lbs. of unwanted medications were collected, highlighting the need for take back events even during a pandemic.  To keep contact to minimum, many sites provided drive-thru medication disposal. To date, we have held […]
Nov 13, 2020

Fall 2020 Take Back Event a Success

Michigan OPEN would like to thank all our partners and participating sites for a successful Take Back Day on October 24. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to provide a safe way to dispose of unused medications during these challenging times, and we look forward to our next event in the spring. Please […]