(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser, the DC Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) are encouraging residents to participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 25, 2025 from 10 am to 2 pm. The District will host drop-off sites across the city where residents can safely dispose of unneeded or expired prescription medications.
“Prescription drugs may be legal, but they can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Our prevention and treatment strategies to combat the opioid crisis and keep residents safe are working,” said DBH Director Barbara J. Bazron, Ph.D. “We can continue to prevent misuse and overdose by clearing out our medicine cabinets and safely disposing unused prescription drugs.”
Prevention of drug misuse is a key strategy in the District’s Live Long DC comprehensive plan to reduce opioid use and overdose deaths. This year, Take Back Day comes at a time when opioid overdose deaths continue to decline in the District of Columbia. There has been a 45.5% drop in overdose deaths during the past 12 months compared to the prior 12 months, with 244 overdose deaths compared to 448. For the latest information, visit the Opioid Overdose Dashboard.
The purpose of Prescription Drug Take Back Day is to encourage people to safely dispose of unwanted, unneeded, or expired prescription medications that could increase the risk of misuse. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration which sponsors Prescription Take Back with local communities, opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine are among the most frequently misused prescription pain medications reports the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
At the last Take Back Day event in April, residents safely disposed of 29,327 pounds of unneeded prescription drugs.
If you or someone you know is at risk of an opioid overdose, DBH urges you to get and keep naloxone, a lifesaving medication. More than 21,000 suspected opioid overdoses have been reversed using naloxone, often by community members, saving hundreds and hundreds of lives. Naloxone is free to everyone in the District of Columbia. Text “LiveLongDC” to (888) 811 to get free naloxone by delivery or at 45 pickup locations across the District.
For connection to mental health or alcohol/drug addiction treatment services, call or text 988 to talk with a trained, caring counselor anytime.
Collection Locations:
MPD Stations
- First District Station: 101 M Street SW
- Second District Station: 3320 Idaho Avenue NW
- Third District Station: 1620 V Street NW
- Fourth District Station: 6001 Georgia Avenue NW
- Fifth District Station: 1805 Bladensburg Road NE
- Sixth District Station: 5002 Hayes Street NE
- Seventh District Station: 2455 Alabama Avenue SE
Libraries
- Mt. Pleasant Library: 3160 16th Street NW
- Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library: 901 G Street NW
- Cleveland Park Library: 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW
- Southwest Library: 900 Wesley Place SW
- Benning Library: 3935 Benning Road NE
- Anacostia Library: 1800 Marion Barry Avenue SE
If residents are unable to visit a drop-off site on Saturday, year-round collection sites are available throughout the community. Residents can also safely dispose unneeded medication using this guidance from the DEA.
For more information on the work of the District government and the 85 community-based organizations that we partner with to reduce opioid use, misuse, and related overdose deaths, visit dbh.dc.gov and LiveLong.DC.gov.
Mayor Bowser X: @MayorBowser
Mayor Bowser Instagram: @Mayor_Bowser
Mayor Bowser Bluesky: @MayorBowser
Mayor Bowser Facebook: facebook.com/MayorMurielBowser
Mayor Bowser YouTube: https://www.bit.ly/eomvideos
Mayor Bowser LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mayorbowser