BECKLEY, W. Va. (WVVA) – The Beckley Police Department teamed up with the Drug Enforcement Administration on Saturday to host an event to coincide with National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day allows people to safely dispose of old, expired, or unused prescription drugs.
“As we are reducing the amount of drugs in homes, we are reducing the risk that someone might want to break in and steal this uh drug for illegal purposes and also, it reduces the risk of children or someone who isn’t supposed to have this drug accidentally in contact with it and then we have an accident on our hands so our goal is to prevent those accidents, â€said Luke Appell, a patroller with the Beckley Police Department.
The safe disposal of drugs is essential to prevent the dangers associated with prescription drugs.
The Raleigh County Prevention Coalition provides people with “Doterra†bags to safely dispose of these substances.
“You can put 45 tablets, or six ounces of liquid, or six patches in these bags. Um, what you do is add water and then you squeeze it together and it safely destroys the medicine and you can put it in the trash. â€said Stéphanie French, coordinator of Blessing Box with the coalition for prevention.
But Appell said, for those who didn’t have access to those bags or missed the opportunity.
“If you don’t have a Deterra bag, there are a few other options,†Appell said. “It would be like using kitty litter or coffee grounds, something nasty, you mix your medicine with that, put it in a bag and throw it in the trash, and the point with that is that it stops someone. ‘one accidentally ingesting the drugs. “
The goal of National Prescription Drug Recovery Day is to prevent overdoses and accidents caused by the misuse of prescription drugs.
