Police to Collect Unused Medications for Disposal April 30

By Amber Lester Kennedy Thursday, April 21, 2011

Local police departments will collect and dispose unused pharmaceutical medications a week from Saturday as part of the National Drug Take Back Initiative.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, April 30, the Williamsburg Police Department, James City County Police Department and York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Department will collect and discard the potentially dangerous medications lurking in residents’ medicine cabinets. The Williamsburg Police will collect medications at 425 Armistead Avenue in Williamsburg. James City County Police will collect the drugs at the James City/Williamsburg Community Center at 5301 Longhill Road and at 240 McLaws Circle. The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Department’s collection site is at 5338 George Washington Memorial Highway in Yorktown.

The purpose of the program is to prove an environmentally safe way to dispose of expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications. The service is free and anonymous. Drugs of all types are acceptable for disposal, but sharps or needles cannot be accepted. Liquids should be in sealed containers. All the drugs collected will be turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for disposal following the event.

Last September, Americans turned in 121 tons of prescription drugs at nearly 4,100 sites operated by the DEA and more than 3,000 state and local law enforcement partners. If not disposed properly, unused medicines could be misused or abused. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, according to a press release from Williamsburg Police Major Greg Riley. In addition, flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them into the trash can pose potential safety and health hazards.