Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will take place April 22, 2023 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. across the Roanoke Valley.

The Roanoke Area Youth Substance Abuse Coalition (RAYSAC), the Western Virginia Water Authority, The Partnership for Community Wellness, and the Franklin County F.R.E.S.H. Coalition are again partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement agencies to support National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

The DEA and local law enforcement agencies will collect expired, unused and unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medications for “safe destruction.”

RAYSAC says:

This initiative addresses vital public safety and public health issues. Medications that are stored in home cabinets are highly susceptible for diversion, misuse and abuse. Safe disposal of medications is key for protecting our youth and our waterways. The National DEA Rx Take Back Events are a great way to safely dispose of any unwanted or expired medications. A list of sites where our event will occur can be found at TakeThemBack.org along with the attached flyer. People who cannot attend this event can visit the website for a list of permanent lockbox locations as well.

In addition to the list linked here, here are locations sent to us by specific law enforcement agencies and businesses:

BEDFORD COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE:

DANVILLE POLICE:

CANCELED BECAUSE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER. Another event will be scheduled in October.

Take Back Day offers free and anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide.

In Danville, it’s Centra Medical, 414 Park Ave.

Collection sites will not accept syringes, sharps, and illicit drugs. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container. The cap must be tightly sealed to prevent leakage.

HORIZON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH:

Saturday, April 22nd, 2023, from 10:00am to 2:00pm, seven medication drop box locations will be available throughout the community for residents to dispose of expired, unwanted, or unused medications as well as share valuable resources to safeguard their home.

Altavista: Altavista Police Department, 510 7th Street, Altavista, VA, 24517

Amherst: Hometown Pharmacy, 196 Amelon Square Shopping Center, Madison Heights, VA 24572

Appomattox: The Farmer’s Bank of Appomattox, 169 Old Courthouse Road, Appomattox VA 24522

Bedford: Tractor Supply Co, 1128 E Lynchburg Salem TPKE, Bedford VA, 24523

The City of Lynchburg:

• Horizon Behavioral Health, 2215 Langhorne Road, Lynchburg VA 24501
• Kroger, 2012 Wards Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502
• Kroger, 4119 Boonsboro Road, Lynchburg, VA 24503

KROGER HEALTH:

On Saturday, April 22, Kroger Health, Cardinal Health and DisposeRx® will come together to host Drug Take Back Day, where community members can responsibly dispose of prescription medications at participating Kroger locations.

The drug take back events are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local law enforcement officers will be on site to accept unused or expired pills, liquids, gels and patches outside each store location (no medications will be accepted inside stores).

*Acceptance of liquids, gels and patches may vary by location.

Participating Kroger Mid-Atlantic store locations include:

• Store 322 - 915 Hardy Rd., Vinton, VA 24179
• Store 326 - 2012 Wards Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502
• Store 399 - 80 Westlake Road Hardy, VA 24101
• Store 408 - 4119 Boonsboro Road, Lynchburg, VA 24503
• Store 577 - 7254 George Washington Memorial HWY, Hayes, VA 23072

LYNCHBURG POLICE:

In addition to collecting and disposing of prescription drugs, Horizon Behavioral Health will be offering free Narcan and Narcan training.

The event is being held on April 22, 20223 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Horizon Behavioral Health parking lot located at 2215 Langhorne Road.

Prescriptions and their containers will be completely destroyed and labels do not need to be removed. No sharps or syringes will be accepted. Vape pens and other E-cigarettes with the batteries removed will also be collected.

LYNCHBURG SHERIFF’S OFFICE:

The Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office and Horizon Behavioral Health are once again participating in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and will be collecting and disposing of prescription drugs.

The event is being held on Saturday April 22, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for our community members to drop off prescription drugs at the following locations: Kroger, 2012 Wards Road and 4119 Boonsboro Road.

Prescriptions and their containers will be completely destroyed, therefore, labels do not need to be removed. No sharps or syringes will be accepted. Vape pens and other E-cigarettes with the batteries removed will also be collected. Horizon Behavioral Health will be offering free Narcan and Narcan training. The Sheriff’s Office will be displaying our Lynchburg Project Lifesaver search and rescue equipment, and will provide demonstrations of the program’s capabilities upon request.

ROANOKE CITY SHERIFF’S OFFICE:

The Roanoke City Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, will be a participating location for drop off of unwanted/unused medications on Saturday, April 22, 2023. We would ask that the public bring their medications to our drug drop box located at 340 Campbell Ave. Deputies will be on site in the Administrative Office to assist from 10:00AM – 2:00PM.

If you are unable to come to our office on Saturday or the service is not currently needed, we have two drug boxes in our department and we offer this service every day. We have boxes located in the lobby of the Detention processing center located at 324 Campbell Ave. This box is accessible 24 hours a day. The second drop box is located in the Administrative Office located at 340 Campbell Ave and is accessible from 8:00AM-4:30PM Monday-Friday. Please note as provided by DEA guidelines: “All solid dosage pharmaceutical product and liquids in consumer containers may be accepted. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container. Intra-venous solutions, injectables, and syringes will not be accepted due to potential hazard posed by blood-borne pathogens. Also note, Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative and should not be placed in collection containers.”

ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY:

Expired or unused pharmaceuticals can be disposed at the CVS Park Lots in Buena Vista and Lexington - located at 2148 E. Midland Trail, Buena Vista VA 24416 and 506 E. Nelson St. Lexington VA 24450. Sharps will not be accepted.

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