Note: This is a past press release from June 2020. It is preserved here for archival and informational purposes.
Contact: media@safeproject.us
ARLINGTON, VA – JUNE 24, 2020 – In June 2020, SAFE Project, a national nonprofit committed to ending the addiction epidemic, mailed out 10,000 Deterra Drug Deactivation and Disposal pouches—more than doubling the original goal of its Gone for Good™ campaign.
The initiative enabled 10,000 U.S. households to safely and conveniently clean out their medicine cabinets, addressing a growing need for at-home medication disposal amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with Deterra System, SAFE Project launched the campaign in April and May 2020 to break down barriers created by stay-at-home orders and the postponement of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Drug Take Back Day.
Through the campaign, individuals across the country were able to request a large Deterra pouch at no cost. As a result, up to one million unused prescription and over-the-counter medications—including pills, creams, patches, liquids, and films—will be permanently destroyed. This equates to one million fewer opportunities for drug misuse, diversion, or accidental poisoning.
“Safe medication disposal is the responsibility of every household, and it is a non-negotiable to have at-home solutions available—especially during a pandemic and for those without access to permanent drop boxes or take back events,” said Admiral Sandy Winnefeld, co-founder of SAFE Project. “Every day should be—and could be—drug take back day.”
The program has drawn attention from federal lawmakers, including U.S. Representatives Anne McLane Kuster and Brian Fitzpatrick, who have called on the DEA to compensate for the suspension of Drug Take Back Day by launching a national at-home disposal initiative. In a May 22 letter to the DEA, they pointed to the Gone for Good™ campaign as a model for expanding safe disposal options.
“A National Bureau of Economic Research study demonstrates the importance of acting decisively during tough economic times, indicating that a 1% increase in a county’s unemployment led to a 3.6% increase in opioid death rate,” wrote Kuster and Fitzpatrick. “To ensure federal takeback efforts continue while Americans deal with COVID-19 and its economic fallout, we encourage the Administration to partner with stakeholders to distribute at-home drug deactivation and disposal kits this spring so that the risk of diversion does not increase unnecessarily.”
The campaign exemplifies how public-private partnerships can rapidly expand access to harm reduction tools during times of crisis—and make everyday safe disposal a reality.
About Deterra and Verde Environmental Technologies, Inc.
Minneapolis-based Verde Environmental Technologies, Inc., is a privately owned company dedicated to developing evidence-based, science-backed solutions to reduce drug misuse, abuse, and environmental harm. Its Deterra® Drug Deactivation System uses patented Molecular Adsorption Technology and activated carbon to deactivate drugs, rendering them inert and safe for disposal. Learn more at deterrasystem.com.
About SAFE Project
SAFE Project is a national 501(c)3) nonprofit committed to overcoming the addiction epidemic in the United States. SAFE Project provides transformative programming, training, and technical assistance based upon a collaborative, multipronged and nonpartisan approach within each of our key initiatives – SAFE Campuses, SAFE Communities, SAFE Workplaces and SAFE Veterans. Our work is fueled through six distinct, yet interrelated lines of operation: public awareness, full-spectrum prevention, prescriptions & medical response, law enforcement & criminal justice, treatment & recovery, and family outreach & support. SAFE Project turns hope into action. For more information visit safeproject.us.