The New Concord Police Department hosts Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 27.
The spring event collects potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs, including liquids. They will not be accepting needles but will accept vape pens and e-cigarettes if the batteries have been removed.
The event is being hosed at Village Hall from 10 a.m-2 p.m. New Concord Police Chief Mindy Peck said it’s important to keep these substances from being flushed into our water supply and to keep them out of the hands of children and those suffering from addiction.
The New Concord Police Department is participating in Drug Take Back Day. The event happens nationwide every April and October.
Peck explained why participation in drug take-back programs is important.
“Well, one, you don’t want it in your water supply. People flushing things and stuff like that, and you don’t want that and two being the biggest is getting in the hands of people that probably have addiction or small kids don’t know they get hold of it,” said Peck. “Overdosing, things like that and it’s mainly an addiction. Just you don’t want them in the hands of people that shouldn’t have it.”
Peck wants to make sure the community understands that it’s not just narcotics that need to be responsibly taken care of and that there isn’t a good reason to be holding onto prescriptions.
“I think the biggest thing is just we all have unused medications. I don’t care what it is, whether it’s antibiotics or a narcotic that you got prescribed five years ago 10 years ago, and people just leave them…. People hold it on to them for some reason,” said Peck. “…get rid of them.”
For more information on the DEA’s national Drug Take Back Day visit https://www.dea.gov/takebackday and for New Concords role in the program visit https://newconcord-oh.gov/15747-2/
The Village of New Concord also operates a drug take-back box at Village Hall on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the same guidelines.
