Mercer County Collects 20 Pounds Of Prescription Drugs

Mercer County residents turned in over 20 pounds of unused prescription medication on National Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, according to Sheriff Jack Kemler. The drugs were weighed, secured, and turned over to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and immediately destroyed.

A wide range of prescription drugs were turned in for disposal, ranging from everyday prescription blood pressure and heart medications, to cholesterol pills, to dangerous opioid painkillers.

“Our goal is to help local residents rid their medicine cabinets of opioid painkillers, in addition to other unneeded pills,” Kemler said. “By properly disposing of over 20 pounds of prescription drugs from our medicine cabinets, we help to prevent abuse, theft or accidental use.”

Kemler added a special thanks to those Mercer County residents who endured Saturday’s foul weather and came out to the drug collection site to drop off their old prescriptions.

The Mercer County Prescription Drug Take-Back Program provides a safe, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of unneeded prescription drugs. The drop-off program, held each spring and fall is conducted by the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Mercer County administration, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). For more information on the County’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Program, call 609-278-7195.

The attached image was provided by the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office