This Weekend’s Event is the 16th Annual Collection
Roanoke, VIRGINIA - United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen announced that the United States Attorney’s Office is proud to partner with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, the Roanoke Area Youth Substance Abuse Coalition (RAYSAC), the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Western Virginia Water Authority to collect expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for safe destruction on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 13 area locations in the Roanoke Valley, and many more locations throughout the district. The public is invited to bring unused, unwanted, and expired medications to this free and anonymous event that is part of the DEA’s nationwide prescription drug “Take-Back" program that seeks to prevent prescription pill abuse, theft, and environmental concerns.
“Properly disposing of unused and expired medications is an important part of making our communities safer," United States Attorney Cullen stated today. “This initiative provides an opportunity to clean out your medicine cabinet and prevent accidental ingestion by children in your homes. It also helps reduce the risk of abuse and misuse of prescription drugs. We can all be a part of combatting the opioid epidemic by keeping our own homes free from unwanted and expired medications."
This is the Roanoke Valley’s 16th take-back event. To date, over 307,000 pounds of prescription medications have been turned in across the Commonwealth, including over 30,000 pounds at the last event in April 2018, with the Roanoke-area collection sites being one of the largest collection locations in the state. This Saturday there will be 13 collection locations in the valley: the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital entrance at Building 143 in Salem, CVS Pharmacy parking lots at 9th Street SE and Towers Shopping Center, CVS Pharmacy at Target in Roanoke, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Westlake Substation in Hardy, Kroger parking lots on Lake Drive Plaza in Vinton, Tanglewood Mall, Valley Gateway, and in Daleville, the Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Station #1 on Hershberger Road, the Super Shoes parking lot on West Main in Salem, Walgreens parking lot at the corner of Electric Road and Brambleton Avenue, and Virginia State Police Division VI Headquarters on Main Street in Salem.
The public is encouraged to visit https://takebackday.dea.gov/ to find other collection sites sponsored by law enforcement throughout the region. The site also includes a locator feature to find year-round disposal collection sites hosted at local law enforcement agencies.
This initiative addresses vital public safety and public health issues. Medications that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S., in the valley, and throughout the district are increasing at alarming rates, as are the numbers of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that 90% of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In fact, the majority of commonly-abused drugs by teenagers are prescription medications.
In addition, flushing medications down the drain can result in trace amounts of pharmaceuticals showing up in our nation’s waterways. This initiative offers a safe and convenient disposal option for district residents.
This initiative is sponsored by RAYSAC, the Western Virginia Water Authority, Prevention Council of Roanoke County, Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs Police, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Roanoke County Police Department, Roanoke Police Department, Roanoke County Sheriff’s Office, Roanoke Valley Academy of Medicine, Salem Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia, Vinton Police Department, Virginia State Police, Vinton Police Department, and the Virginia National Guard.
By working together to provide a free, secure place to dispose of unwanted medications, these partner agencies are helping prevent drug abuse, protecting our valley’s waterways, and making our communities safer.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
