Drug and Vaping Take Back This Saturday!
The Partnership for Substance Free Youth in Buncombe County will host several medication drop off sites for the DEA National Prescription Take Back day on Saturday 10/26/19 from 10am-2pm in collaboration with local businesses and law enforcement. Through these events and permanent medication drop boxes in our community, The Partnership for Substance Free Youth in Buncombe County has already collected 400 pounds of unneeded or expired prescription medications in 2019.
Last fall Americans turned in nearly 469 tons (more than 937,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at nearly 6,300 sites operated by the DEA and almost 5,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 17 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in more than 11.8 million pounds—approximately 5,900 tons—of pills.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.
For the first time, the DEA and The Partnership for Substance Free Youth in Buncombe County, will also accept vaping devices and cartridges at any of its drop off locations during the Take Back Day. Many concerns have been raised lately across the United States over illnesses and death caused by vaping and the high youth vaping initiation rates. In an effort to support a healthy lifestyle and energetic population, especially amongst Americas’ youth, DEA is committed to doing all it can to help safely dispose of vaping devices and substances.
Participating in National Take Back Day provides community members with an opportunity to help prevent prescription and over-the-counter medicine misuse and abuse by disposing of unused or expired medicines in a safe, convenient, and responsible way. In addition, community members can help prevent and reduce youth initiation of vaping nicotine and other harmful substances by disposing of vaping devices and cartridges.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 26 Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com
The event will take place at multiple locations across Buncombe County from 10am-2pm:
Walgreens: 1124 Patton Ave, Asheville
Walgreens: 1835 Hendersonville Road, Asheville
Walgreens: 91 S. Tunnel Road, Asheville
Walgreens: 841 Merrimon Avenue, Asheville
CVS: 425 W State St. Black Mountain
Asheville Airport – Public Safety Building, Fletcher
SONA Pharmacy: 805 Fairview Rd, Asheville
Asheville Mountain Pharmacy: 1272 Tunnel Rd. Ste 20, Asheville
Please remove identification from all medications, and separate pills, liquids and inhalers into different bags or containers. We cannot accept radioactive medications such as cancer medications. Also, we cannot accept needles or sharps. All medications collected during the event are considered anonymous and will be incinerated by the Drug Enforcement Agency.
