This weekend, the Drug Enforcement Administration will host the 18th National Drug Take-Back Day. Since the program’s inception, more than 11 million pounds of expired, unused or unwanted prescription medications have been removed from Americans’ medicine cabinets. This is so important because we are in the midst of a national opioid crisis, claiming 17 lives a day right here in Florida.

The last time DEA sponsored a Take-Back Day, more than 30,000 pounds of medication were turned over in a single day. That is an astonishing number and exemplifies the excess supply of prescription opioids in our state. These unused medications often sit in people’s medicine cabinets because they have been forgotten or people don’t know what to do with them.

Sadly, users will often rummage through the medicine cabinets of family members or friends in search of opioid pills. This can fuel addiction or even lead to an overdose death. Drug Take-Back Days encourage citizens to get rid of these addictive medications, and potentially save a life in the process.

I am excited to announce that, for the first time ever, DEA is accepting vaping devices and cartridges as part of the Take-Back effort. Vaping is a fast-growing public health epidemic among Florida’s youth. Florida’s Department of Health recently reported that one in four high schoolers admitted that they have vaped.

If you find vaping products in your child’s possession, please talk to them about the dangers of underaged vaping—and then bring those products to the nearest Take-Back location.

To find a location near you, click here.

By participating in Drug Take-Back Day, you can help us combat the opioid crisis and build a stronger, safer Florida.