| Hancock County residents and others will have the opportunity to return unwanted or unneeded prescription medications on Saturday, April 30, from 10-2 at the old Extension Office property, adjacent to the Magistrate’s office, on Rt. 2 in New Cumberland. The take-back event occurs every April and October. The Drug Enforcement Agency and its partner, the Hancock County Sheriff Department, will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illicit drugs will not be accepted. The DEA will also continue to accept vaping devices and cartridges provided lithium batteries are removed. Last year, Hancock County collected 138 pounds of prescription drugs, keeping dangerous medications out of medicine cabinets and out of the hands of those who might abuse them. According to a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a majority of people who misused a prescription medication obtained the medicine from a family member or friend. A location finder and partner toolbox are available at http://www.DEATakeBack.com for easy reference to nearby collection sites. Beyond DEA’s Take Back Day, there are also opportunities to regularly and safely dispose of unneeded medications at more than 13,000 pharmacies, hospitals, police departments, and businesses working to help clean out medicine cabinets throughout the year. Every community in the Northern Panhandle has an Rx Takeback Collection Box, and residents are encouraged to utilize them throughout the year. Any day can be drug takeback day! For more information, please contact Valery Staskey, Prevention Specialist at Youth Services System, at 304-218-2843. |
