The Drug Free Montgomery County Harm Reduction Committee hosted the biannual Prescription Drug Take Back Day event in the parking lot of First Christian Church on Saturday.
Lieutenant Bob Rivers, with the Crawfordsville Police Department, was visited by the largest number of cars in the history of the Prescription Drug Take Back Day initiative. With a total of 67 cars stopping by to properly dispose of unwanted, unneeded, or unused medication, Rivers was able to collect 141 pounds of medications.
Not only does the organization collect unneeded, unused, and expired medications during Drug Take Back Day, Montgomery County also has two permanent drop-off locations that are available year-round. The locations where medications can be properly disposed of include the Montgomery County Sheriff’s office, 600 Memorial Drive, and the Crawfordsville Police Department, 311 N. Green St.
In the last six months, the sheriff’s office has collected around 156 pounds of medications and the Crawfordsville Police Department has collected around 749 pounds of medications. An approximate total of 1,026 pounds was taken to the DEA for proper disposal. This total comes from medications disposed of at each permanent site and Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
“The permanent disposal locations and the Prescription Drug Take Back Day events help reduce the risk of old medications ending up in the wrong hands,” said Diamond Justice, director of the Drug Free Montgomery County Coalition. “By reducing this risk, we also reduce the risk of substance misuse which plays a key role in combating the issue of substance use within our community.”
It is also important to remember the importance of proper disposal for not only medication, but for sharps/needles. Sharps can be safely disposed of at the Montgomery County Health Department,1580 Constitution Row, Suite G, and at the CPD.
The next Prescription Drug Take Back Day event will be Oct. 25.
