LOCAL

Drug take-back events set in Charles Town, Frederick

Staff reports
The Herald-Mail

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced Wednesday that his office will be involved in this weekend’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by hosting several events in the state.

A representative from the attorney general’s office will assist the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department in staffing a take-back site Saturday at Walmart at 96 Patrick Henry Way in Charles Town.

The attorney general’s office has participated in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day each year since 2013. The office’s locations will be among more than 115 collection sites in West Virginia.

The DEA spearheads Drug Take Back Day, which initially was launched in 2010. During the event, local and state law-enforcement agencies collect unused medications and responsibly dispose of them.

The DEA typically hosts two prescription drug take-back days per year, with one in the spring and the other in the fall.

The Attorney General Public Health Trust also has installed a prescription-drug incinerator at the Shepherdstown Police Department.

The incinerators are used to destroy unwanted and expired pills and are shared among law-enforcement agencies.

The Frederick (Md.) Police Department also will host a drug-disposal event Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 6040 New Design Road, site of the former Trinity School.

The Frederick County Health Department and the DEA also will participate in the event.

Residents are encouraged to drop off unused and expired medications, which the department will dispose of.

All personal information will be kept confidential, or you may remove all personally identifiable information from the medication bottle.

Acceptable items include prescription and over-the-counter medications, medical samples, pet medications, and medicated ointments and lotions.

Unacceptable items include thermometers, IV bags, blood or infectious waste, and oxygen tanks.

The health department will collect syringes and needles. For the safety of those involved, they must be separated from any medications being turned in.