Mooresville Drug Take-Back Event Rescheduled Due To Weather

MOORESVILLE, NC — A drug take-back event originally scheduled for this weekend at a Mooresville pharmacy has been postponed due to inclement weather, organizers said Thursday.

The Mooresville Police Department-sponsored event at Cannon Pharmacy was to take place Saturday, April 24 at the store, located at 521 East Plaza Drive.

"Due to the pending forecast of cool temperatures and heavy rain all day Saturday, the take-back event at Cannon Pharmacy is being postponed until Saturday, May 1, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.," organizers said.

According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, millions of people every year misuse prescription pain relievers, stimulants, tranquilizers and sedatives. Nearly 50,000 people in the United States died from opioid-involved overdoses that year.

The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from a home’s medicine cabinet.

The last drug take-back event was held in October 2020. During the event, partners collected nearly 985,400 pounds of unused prescription drugs nationwide, the largest amount ever collected in the program’s 10 years. More than 30,194 pounds were collected in North Carolina.

Nearly 13.7 million pounds of expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications have been collected since the program’s inception.

The Environmental Protection Agency offers guidance on items not accepted during take-back events, including the disposal of sharps and other medical waste. The Food and Drug Administration offers tips on getting rid of liquid medicines that are expired or no longer needed.

Given the ongoing pandemic, both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency also have tips on how to safely dispose of drugs without leaving home.

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