On Saturday, October 27, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the
Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with Ashland Police Department
and the Hanover County Department of Public Works, will be conducting a Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. This is a free service.
Residents of the County and Town can safely surrender their
expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceuticals and medications – no questions asked, no identification
required. The collection sites are Mechanicsville Solid Waste Center at 7427
Verdi Lane, Mechanicsville, VA 23116, and the Ashland Police Department located at 601 England St, Ashland, VA 23005.
Items that can be surrendered include:
·
Prescription medications and over-the-counter solid
dosage medications (e.g., tablets, capsules, pills, etc.)
·
Liquid products, such as prescription cough syrups
(please keep sealed in original container)
The following are examples of items that will not be
accepted:
·
Intra-venous solutions, injectables, and needles
·
Illicit substances such as marijuana or
methamphetamine
This event is sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration- Office of Diversion Control.
Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to
diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of
prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of
accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that
a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends,
including from the home medicine cabinet. Americans are now advised that their usual
methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or
throwing them in the trash—pose potential safety and health hazards.
For information about the collection site at the Ashland Police
Department, please contact Officer Chip Watts at (804) 412-0615 or (804)
677-7159.
To learn more about the dangers of prescription drugs or this
event, please visit the following websites:
·
http://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com/
·
http://www.dare.org/drug-abuse-trends-change-dare-america-responds/
·
http://www.dea.gov/index.shtml