Drug Take Back Day this weekend across West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Morgantown community members are invited to participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 25th, an initiative to reduce access to unused, unneeded, and expired prescription medications.

Chief Operating Officer at West Virginia Sober Living, Jon Dower, also in long-term recovery, urges residents to participate.

“We had a surgery and got some medication and didn’t take it,” Dower said. “Drug Take Back Day is an excellent way to dispose of those medications properly.”

Individuals can bring any unwanted medications to six different Morgantown locations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. These include the Pierpont Landing Pharmacy, the Kroger Pharmacy at Suncrest Town Center, the Villages at Heritage Point, the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department, the Morgantown Police Department, and the University Police Department on WVU’s campus. Also, a disposal kiosk is available 24 hours a day, year-round, at the WVU Police Department Health Sciences Center satellite office located near the Pylons.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to remove unwanted drugs will also prevent the possibility of the drugs falling into the wrong hands.

“Helps to avoid diversion; it prevents the drugs from getting into our water supply—it can truly be a very imp[CLIP]actful process for those who participate,” Dower said.

Last year across the nation, 286 tons of unwanted drugs were turned in at more than 4,000 sites. Since 2010, the program has collected more than 20 tons of medication.

“Unfortunately when narcotics are left around, people with substance abuse disorder may try to obtain those,” Dower said.

Drug Take Back Day provides an easy way to prevent pollution and the possibility of the drugs changing the course of a life for the worse.

“They’re often just left in medicine cabinets, so the more we can reduce the available supply, the more we can potentially save lives,” Dower said.