HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Law enforcement across the country will be hosting National Drug Take Back Day events from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday including those with Marshall University.
The event put on by the Drug Enforcement Administration is meant to allows residents to safely dispose of any expired, used or unwanted medications.
Angela Saunders, director of the university’s Prevention Empowerment Partnership (PEP) initiative, said they’ll be informing residents about local resources and services in order to combat the drug crisis in Huntington.
“Law enforcement collect the medication and we’re handing out information about where you can go throughout the year and also to give them any other recourses they may need on substance prevention,” she said.
PEP is an initiative of Marshall’s Research Corporation and the Center of Excellence for Recovery.
Huntington Police Department, Cabell County Sheriff’s Department and Marshall University School of Pharmacy are taking part in Saturday’s event at the following locations:
Walgreen’s
111 4th Ave., Huntington
Drug Emporium
3 East Mall Rd., Barboursville
Huntington Police Department
675 10th St., Huntington
QRT office
1133 20th St., Huntington
Huntington has been labeled “ground-zero” for the nationwide drug epidemic and Saunders said there’s a reason for that. She said they collect a lot of old prescription medications every time they hold a Drug Take Back event.
“We see literally boxes and boxes taken out of Cabell County every year,” she said.
Last spring, Americans turned in 332 tons of prescription drugs at nearly 5,000 sites operated by the DEA in conjunction with 4,497 state and local law enforcement partners.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year-after-year that most misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet.
For a list of other locations in West Virginia and to learn more about National Drug Take Back Day, click here.