BENTON COUNTY, Wash. – Saturday, multiple law enforcement agencies in and around the Tri-Cities will be taking part in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
The Take Back Day aims to tackle the drug overdose epidemic in the United States as well as helping to keep drugs out of the wrong hands.
Lieutenant Mike Clark from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, says it’s a great time to clean out your cabinets and responsibly get rid of any unwanted medications.
“Nobody’s really accounting for them. And so those can disappear over time,” said Lieutenant Clark. “And obviously then we can have, detrimental impacts.”
Shelley Little, a public health nurse at the Benton-Franklin Health District, also highlighted the importance of securing your medications. She says while illegal drugs are more of an issue than prescription drugs in Benton and Franklin Counties, the events still do good for the community.
“These takeback days really do have an impact, for people who have expired medications so that they’re not flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the garbage, that and ends up in our landfill, and it protects our environment and keeps the soil and the water safe,” said Little.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, 314 tons of medications were collected across 4,600 drop off locations last year.
To find a list of locations near you, visit the DEA’s website and scroll down to the Collection Site Locator.
