HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall University will be taking back unused drugs in an effort to make the community a little safer.
An initiative of Marshall’s Center of Excellence for Recovery, The Prevention Empowerment Partnership is coming together with local law enforcement and the Marshall University School of Pharmacy to host the National Drug Take Back Day this Saturday.
The initiative helps prevent medication abuse and theft by encouraging people to bring in their unused, unwanted, and expired prescriptions to rid them from their homes and potentially off the streets.
Director of PEP, Angela Saunders said that while working with the youth is a big part of what they do, this is the one event where volunteers must be 18 years or older to participate due to the potential risks of being exposed to drugs. However, she said it does give the initiative the opportunity to reach out to older demographics who are usually more likely to carry prescription medication.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to talk to that population about the dangers of the medications they have in their home,” Saunders said.
Saunders said PEP does a lot to help prevent drug misuse and abuse, and it’s crucial in keeping these drugs from getting into the wrong hands.
“This is just one piece of the comprehensive prevention that we provide, and it’s so important, because, like I said, it is reaching a different population, and we do know that many youth first get their experimental drugs out of a medicine cabinet,” she said.
Saunders said medicine that’s sitting in cabinets can be highly susceptible to misuse and abuse, and with the rates of prescription drug abuse being as high as it is, along with the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses, the event is a way to address these issues.
“I think we all know that illegal drugs are extremely dangerous, but we don’t realize that some of the drugs that are in our cabinets are just as dangerous,” said Saunders.
Saunders said drugs can also pose a safety risk when they are flushed down the toilet or thrown in the trash, and Drug Take Back events allow them to safely be destroyed.
According to the DEA, 324 tons of prescription drugs were turned in at nearly 5,000 sites around the country last fall. They have taken in over 16 million pounds of medication overall during their 22 previous Take Back events.
The Huntington Police Department and Cabell County Sherriff’s Department will also be on site during the event. It lasts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday at Walgreens on 111 4th Avenue in Huntington, Drug Emporium on 3 E Mall Road in Barboursville, Huntington Police Department, and the QRT Office, 1133 20th Street in Huntington.
The event is free and it stays anonymous. Personal care items, needles or sharps, liquid injectables, illegal drugs, thermometers or anything containing mercury items, hydrogen peroxide, or inhalers will not be accepted at sites.
The Charleston Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration will also be hosting a Drug Take Back event Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will be held at the following locations:
Walgreens on 655 Washington St. W., Drug Emporium on 1603 Kanawha Blvd. W., West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute, 118 Capitol St., Piggly Wiggly, 5003 MacCorkle Ave., Fruth Pharmacy on 864 Oakwood Rd., and Kroger at Ashton Place, 1100 Fledderjohn Rd.