The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the public about the potential for abuse of medications.
Several agencies and organizations work together to share the importance of proper disposal of unused and expired prescription medication. These coordinated efforts keep unused and expired medications out of the wrong hands. It has the potential to affect everyone.
On Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., Lancaster County’s Coalition for Healthy Youth, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and the Lancaster Police Department will team up with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to host an event that will allow for the proper disposal of potentially dangerous expired, unused or unwanted medications. It is through our partnerships and collaborations, that we are able to host such events, but we need you.
For this upcoming Take Back Day, we will again have three drop-off sites for your convenience. Please join us at one of the following locations:
• Del Webb Library, 7641 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land, SC 29707
• Lancaster City Hall, 216 S. Catawba St., Lancaster, SC 29720
• Heath Springs Town Hall, 103 Duncan St., Heath Springs, SC 29058
We encourage all citizens to safely store medications while they are being taken, and then to properly dispose of any unused or expired medications once treatment is completed. Proper disposal of prescription drugs is crucial in preventing substance misuse.
Your participation in Take Back Day is helping to protect our community and the environment. Studies show that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, often by stealing them from someone’s home medicine cabinet.
The DEA hosts its National Drug Take Back Day events each April and October.
Lancaster County has four permanent drop boxes available for medicine disposal year-round. They are at 1520 Pageland Highway in Lancaster, 1821 Sandal Brook Road in Indian Land, 113 S. Hampton St. in Kershaw, and at the Lancaster Police Department, 405 E. Arch St. These drop boxes cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
National Prescription Take Back Day provides an opportunity for all residents to have a “Dose of Reality.” The reality is the victims of this epidemic have been spread across all races, all ages and all socioeconomic statuses, so it is necessary for us all to play a small role in a big fight.
LaNisha Stover Blair is co-chair of the Coalition for Healthy Youth.
