BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A DEA National Take Back event is set to occur on Saturday, October 29, 2022.
The event, as announced Monday by the Beckley Police Department, will take place from 10:00am to 2:00pm, and will give members of the community to dispose of unwanted medications which may be potentially dangerous.
Medications can be brought to the Beckley Police Station at 501 Neville Street for disposal.
The release as announced by the Beckley PD can be seen in full below.
“On Saturday, October 29th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Beckley Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
Bring your pills for disposal to the Beckley Police Department front lobby located at 501 Neville Street, Beckley, WV.
The DEA cannot accept any type of liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
On April 30, 2022, Americans turned in 360 tons (721,093 pounds) of prescription drugs at 5,144 collections sites operated by the DEA and almost 4,427 of its state and local law enforcement partners.
The initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
Studies show that most abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods of disposing of unused medicines–flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash-both pose potential safety and health hazards.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs go to the DEA Diversion website.”