BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – People are coming out to the Raleigh County Commission on Aging for the second National Drug Take-Back Day of the year, the first being held in the Spring.
Coordinated by the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration, this national day dedicated to promoting the take-back of unused prescription drugs is seeing some support within the community.
“There’s usually very consistent involvement, it just continues to show us, the Beckley PD, and the Commission on Aging how important it is to continue to have these events to make it possible for the community to bring in their medication because it is very consistent,” says Amanda Hammon with the Raleigh County Prevention Coalition.
The Beckley Police Department was on hand at the facility all day securely collecting the drugs to eventually be sent off to the DEA where they will properly be disposed of. And representatives from the Attorney General’s Office and the Raleigh County Prevention Coalition were also there, promoting safe ways to get rid of the drugs and why it’s important to do so.
“I think that medication is maybe piling up over Covid, there’s a lot of elderly who have been at home for a while and the medication just being there can be a danger and it needs to be properly disposed of,” Hammon says.
“It’s one of the safest things that they can possibly do,” adds Stephanie French, also with the coalition.
And beyond raising awareness, helping people find easier ways to get rid of these unused drugs is a crucial part of the prevention process, and Deterra bags getting handed out at the event make the process even easier.
“So here we have some Deterra bags, it’s really simple to use, the instructions are on here, you add the drug to it, add some water, and you dispose of it in this bag,” says Luke Appell, Patrolman with the Beckley PD. “There are some other ways if you don’t have some of these, you can mix those drugs with something unpleasant like cat litter that way nobody will be taking those drugs, but the best way is to come to a prescription take back where we can safely dispose of them for you.”
Often times the elderly are the main people with prescription drugs on hand, unfortunately making them a target to criminal activity regarding the drugs, but through this drug take-back event, prescription medication is only becoming even more difficult to abuse.
