Residents will have the opportunity to return unwanted or unneeded prescription medications on Saturday, October 29th, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at various locations throughout the Northern Panhandle. The take-back event occurs every April and October.
Takeback locations can be found in Hancock County at Davis Pharmacy in Chester, Brooke County at Hood Pharmacy in Follansbee, Ohio County at the Mt. Dechantal Kroger and the Elm Grove Pharmacy, Marshall County at Moundsville Pharmacy, and Wetzel County at both the New Martinsville Fire Department and the Pine Grove Pharmacy.
Youth Services System, Inc. (YSS) and Substance Use Prevention Coalition volunteers, along with local law enforcement, will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illicit drugs will not be accepted. The DEA will also continue to accept vaping devices and cartridges, provided lithium batteries are removed.
Last year, the Northern Panhandle collected 2,231 pounds of prescription drugs, keeping dangerous medications out of medicine cabinets and out of the hands of those who might abuse them. According to a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a majority of people who misused a prescription medication obtained the medicine from a family member or friend.
A location finder and partner toolbox are available at www.DEATakeBack.com for easy reference to nearby collection sites. Beyond DEA’s Take Back Day, every community in the Northern Panhandle has an Rx Takeback Collection Box, and residents are encouraged to utilize them throughout the year. Any day can be drug takeback day!
For more information, please contact Valery Staskey, Prevention Specialist at Youth Services System, at 304-218-2843.
