The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office will be collecting potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, 155 Johnson Avenue in Fayetteville.
The service is free and anonymous; there are no questions asked or paperwork required. Participants in this initiative are simply asked to bring their unused or unwanted prescription drugs to this location where they can be destroyed.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office will have a drive-through set up in the sheriff’s office parking lot on Johnson Avenue nearest to South Jeff Davis Drive.
Participants can drive through and won’t have to get out of their car. No needles or bio-hazardous materials will be accepted.
The event is part of a nationwide prescription drug “Take Back” initiative that seeks to prevent increased pill abuse and theft.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Many Americans are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potential safety and health hazards. You can make your home safe and strengthen your community by participating in this nationwide prescription take-back program.
The initiative is being offered by the sheriff’s office, the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and other government, community, public health and law enforcement partners.
