Skip to main content

On National Drug Take Back Day, Google and DEA make it easier to get rid of drugs

Returning unwanted or leftover prescription drugs should be easy, but it isn’t in most of the country. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) declared Saturday, April 28 to be National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

And Google rose to the occasion to help.

Related Videos

Google added a Drug Take Back Day function to Google Maps that finds official DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Day locations by either clicking on a map location and entering an address or zip code.

“Using Google Maps API, our team worked with the DEA to create a locator tool for the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, April 28. The locator tool can help anyone find a place near them to safely dispose of leftover prescription medications.”

The DEA reported that 6.4 million Americans abused controlled prescription drugs in 2015. In most cases, the drugs were taken from often unwitting family and friends — typically stolen from bathroom medicine cabinets.

The last National Take Back Day, the fourteenth in the series, was in October 2017. On that date, 4,274 law enforcement agencies participated. In all, 5,231 official collection sites collected 912,305 pounds of prescription drugs. That’s the equivalent of 456 tons of drugs.

The DEA has additional Drug Take Back Day resources including information and search tools. You can read about the Drug Disposal Act or learn about specific medications in the Drug Database.

If you can’t make it on National Drug Take Back Day, the DEA also maintains a Year-Round Drug Disposal location or authorized collector database.

Google has worked with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids since 2005. The non-profit organization helps parents looking for support connect to the Partnership’s Parent Helpline for free counseling and advice. In conjunction with Drug Take Back Day, Google announced $750,000 in matching grants to expand the Parent Helpline to support more families.

April 28 is just one day, but Google is working on a more lasting solution, according to the company blog.

“Longer term, we’re working with the DEA and state governments like Iowa, Arizona, Massachusetts, and Michigan to gather data on year-round take back options for future Google Maps integration.”

Individuals, groups, or companies wishing to help promote National Prescription Drug Take Back Day can contact the DEA through the agency’s Partnership Toolbox.

Editors' Recommendations

Sonos wins patent lawsuit, Pixel phones and other Google devices face sales ban
The Google/Sonos lawsuit just had a major development.

Google and Sonos have been locked in a long-drawn legal battle over patent infringement, with both parties suing each other over the years, but it appears that Sonos has finally gained an upper hand in that tussle. As per a report from The New York Times, a trade court has ruled that Google did violate laws by illegally using Sonos’ patented audio technologies used in smart home and audio devices.

A cease and desist order has been issued against Google by the United States Internation Trade Commission. As per the ruling, all products that infringe on patented technology should be banned from being imported into the United States. And the list of products that fall under the Sonos-Google battle is huge.

Read more
Frustrated security researcher discloses Windows zero-day bug, blames Microsoft
Laptop sitting on a desk showing Windows 11's built-in Microsoft Teams experience

There's a new zero-day issue in Windows, and this time the bug has been disclosed to the public by an angry security researcher. The vulnerability relates to users leveraging the command prompt with unauthorized system privileges to share dangerous content through the network.

According to a report from Bleeping Computer, Abdelhamid Naceri, the security researcher who disclosed this bug, is frustrated with Microsoft over payouts from the bug bounty program. Bounties have apparently been downgraded significantly over the past two years. Naceri isn't alone, either. One Twitter user reported in 2020 that zero-day vulnerabilities no longer pay $10,000 and are now valued at $1,000. Earlier this month, another Twitter user reported that bounties can be reduced at any time.

Read more
Google opens up Play Store payments in South Korea in response to legislation
Google Play Store.

Google is finally letting developers in South Korea implement third-party payment solutions in their apps in response to new legislation. Going forward, users will be able to select between Google Play billing and an alternate option of the developer's choice, the company explained.

The move comes after the South Korean Telecommunications Business Act was amended to keep companies from forcing mandatory use of their own in-app purchases systems. The primary reason the in-app purchasing system has been targeted is that developers have had to pay a mandatory 30% fee, cutting into profitability for small businesses. Google's adaptation will still require developers to show the Play Store billing system, but they'll now be able to use potentially cheaper third parties. Google will share further details and guidelines around implementation in the coming weeks.

Read more