September 22, 2025

On Saturday, October 25, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the Garden Grove Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to the Garden Grove Police Department, located at 11301 Acacia Parkway, Garden Grove, CA 92840. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, ONLY pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

In April 2025, Americans turned in 310 tons (over 620,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at over 4,590 sites operated by the DEA, in partnership with state and local law enforcement agencies.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies have shown that most abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 25 Take Back Day event, visit www.DEATakeBack.com.