Alexandria Sheriff’s Office and Partners Holding Drug Take Back Event

From the Alexandria Sheriff's Office:

To help prevent abuse and theft of medication, the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria and the Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray are holding a Drug Take Back event on Saturday, July 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside 2204 Mount Vernon Ave. in Alexandria.

Deputies will be collecting potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs and other medications in front of The Neighborhood Pharmacy. The service is free and anonymous with no questions asked.

The Drug Take Back event addresses a critical public safety and public health issue. People may not be aware that medicines in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. exceed the combined rates of heroin, cocaine and hallucinogenic drug use, and prescription drug abuse has resulted in thousands of fatal prescription drug overdoses, particularly from narcotic painkillers. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, abused prescription drugs are often obtained from family, friends and the home medicine cabinet.

Many people 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. Drug Take Back events provide the public with a convenient and secure way to safely dispose of expired, unused, and unwanted medications.