As National Take Back Day approaches on Saturday, April 26, we’re reminded of the role each of us can play in protecting our families from the dangers of opioid misuse. The opioid crisis continues to devastate communities across the country. In 2024, there were 1,803 suspected overdose deaths in New Jersey alone, according to NJ CARES.

The danger often starts at home. Many teens who misuse opioids get them from the medicine cabinets of friends or family members. A new study by the New Jersey Poison Control Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School sheds light on some of the ways young children are getting exposed. That’s why we created the American Medicine Chest Challenge (AMCC), a public health initiative encouraging families to take five simple steps:

1. Take inventory of your prescription and over-the-counter medicine.

2. Secure your medicine chest.

3. Safely dispose of your unused, unwanted, and expired medicine.

4. Do not share the medicine prescribed to you.

4. Talk to your children about the dangers of prescription drug misuse

Additionally, recent research at Penn Leonard Davis Institute shows that giving patients a disposal kit when they are discharged from the hospital with opioid-based pain relievers —costing just $1 to $2—can increase safe disposal by over 10% percent. These kits make disposal easy and convenient, helping prevent misuse before it starts.

This weekend, take the AMCC Challenge. Clean out your medicine cabinet and help make your home—and our state—safer. To find a collection site near you, visit dea.gov/takebackday