Drug Take Back Day set for Saturday

It’s time to toss those pills. Saturday, Sept. 27, will mark the ninth Drug Take Back Day across the country.

“Literally tons of prescriptions drugs that are no longer needed or wanted have been brought back by West Virginians,” according to U.S. Attorney for the Southern District Booth Goodwin.

In fact, this past spring the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, state and local police collected more than three tons of pills in one day here in the Mountain State. Most of those are coming out of medicine cabinets where they’ve been long forgotten by their owners. However, because prescription pills are a gateway drug, they don’t go unnoticed by family and friends with substance abuse problems or thieves looking for a quick high.

“We’ve seen an overwhelming response from West Virginians because they recognize how big an issue this is. They recognize that this is truly and epidemic here in West Virginia. It’s a part they can play in solving that very critical problem,” Goodwin said.

Getting rid of those dangerous drugs is as easy as logging on to DEA.gov and typing in your zip code to find a drop off site. There are 130 in West Virginia alone. All that’s left to do is to drive up and drop them off.

Goodwin firmly believes the decrease in prescription drug overdoes and deaths is due to the Take Back program. However, he said it’s created a vacuum.

“Because we’ve seen a reduction in pills on the street, we’ve also seen an alarming increase in heroin.”

Heroin is a cheaper high but it’s also not a drug most people choose for the first time they get high, unlike prescription pills. Goodwin said his office along with law enforcement are taking the challenges with the victories as they come.