On Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Danville Police Department, in partnership with other local and state law enforcement agencies, will give citizens the opportunity to dispose of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs stored in their homes.
Bring your medications for disposal to the parking lot of CVS Pharmacy at 3212 Riverside Drive. Police officers will be present to collect expired or unused medications with no questions asked. The service is free.
The drug take back event is sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and supported locally by the Regional Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention Inc., CVS Pharmacy and Chick-fil-A. The Danville Police Department is participating for the fifth year.
The police department is working in partnership with the Danville Sheriff’s Office, Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and Virginia State Police. Take back events also are being held at three locations in the county: Food Lion parking lot at the Tuscarora Shopping Center, the Sheriff’s Office in Chatham and the Food Lion Shopping Center parking lot on Vaden Street in Gretna.
The drug take back 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 U.S. are alarmingly high, 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, 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.