CHARLESTON W.Va (WVDN) — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced his office will take part in this weekend’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by partnering with law enforcement and substance abuse prevention groups across West Virginia.
Representatives from the Attorney General’s Office will assist state, county, and municipal agencies and groups in staffing Take Back sites around the state on Saturday, Oct. 26.
The Attorney General’s Office is also coordinating with Capitol Police and the state Department of Homeland Security at a Take Back location from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, at the State Capitol Complex Safe Zone adjacent to the Culture Center at the Greenbrier/Washington Street entrance.
“Events like this are a key part of the work our office does to keep potentially dangerous drugs from being misused or abused,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “If anyone has unused or unwanted prescription drugs, especially opioids and other pain medications, I encourage them to bring them in to be safely discarded and destroyed.”
“Take Back Day is one of many ways we are working to keep opioids out of our communities and help identify overprescribing in West Virginia.”
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 this weekend will be among the more than 81 collection sites in West Virginia.
As part of Take Back Day, the Attorney General’s Office will assist the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1078 Main St., Elkview and the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 510 S. Raleigh St., Martinsburg.
Go to this website to find a collection site near you.
If you cannot visit one of the Take Back locations on Saturday, the Capitol Police provides a disposal box year-round in Building 1, Room 152-A at the Capitol Complex.
“It makes me incredibly proud that West Virginia is actively involved in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day,” Gov. Jim Justice said. “When local law enforcement, our team at the Capitol Complex, and communities work together, it reflects how much we care about keeping our folks safe and stopping prescription drugs from falling into the wrong hands. I’m thankful for everyone who pulls the rope together to tackle the problem of prescription drug abuse in our state.”
The DEA spearheads Drug Take Back Day, which was launched in 2010. During the event, local and state law enforcement agencies collect unused medication and responsibly dispose of it. The DEA typically hosts two prescription drug Take Back days per year—one in the spring and one in the fall.
The Attorney General Public Health Trust previously awarded prescription drug incinerators to law enforcement agencies across the state. The incinerators are used to destroy unwanted/expired pills and are shared among law enforcement agencies.
The incinerators were awarded through the Dispose Responsibly of Prescriptions (DRoP) initiative, which also distributed drug disposal drop boxes throughout the state.
