Columbia County Drug Take Back Day sees low turnout
EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Around the CSRA, people disposed of unused prescription drugs at drop-off points over the weekend, but in Columbia County, the turnout was low.
National Drug Take Back Day exists with two primary goals:
- To remove medications out of the house to avoid children or adults potentially abusing them.
- To safely dispose of them without damaging the environment.
Sgt. Daniel Massey of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office spoke about how this event compared to another drive six months ago.
“This is a lot smaller than what we had six months ago. Six months ago we had 90 pounds, here I believe we had around 20 pounds,” Massey says.
He was pretty satisfied with the turnout saying they will take what they can get.
One mother who attended the event on Saturday urges people how important Take Back Days are.
“That’s not something you should just dispose of. Some of these contain drugs that can be used in a harmful way for people, they have meth or things that can be turned into harmful abusive drugs. It’s not something you want to put down a toilet. It can used in our drinking water,” a local mother, Olivia Heliman says.
The events will be every six months; the next one will be in spring.
Should you want to drop off any old medicines sooner, you can go to your local sheriff’s office or police department and drop them off there.
The DEA says opioid addiction and abuse in America is a nationwide problem.
A 2023 report from the DEA says that take-back days have removed more than 8,650 tons of medication from circulation, since its inception in 2010.
How to prevent drug abuse and protect our waterways:
- Lock up or hide your medications to prevent others from taking them.
- Don’t flush your medications - trace amounts of the chemicals in medications can end up in our waterways.
- Dispose of your medications at take-back sites.
Visit the DEA’s Take Back Day website to learn more and find other sites near you.
Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
