Drug Take Back Day To Happen At 4 Alexandria Locations

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Alexandria law enforcement and local partners will collect unused and expired medications for the Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Alexandria residents can turn in their medications at four collection sites, no questions asked. Pills and patches are accepted, but liquids, needles and sharps cannot be.

There will be four collection sites:

• Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray, 2204 Mount Vernon Avenue
• Alexandria Police Headquarters, 3200 Wheeler Avenue
• First Baptist Church, 2932 King Street
• Fire Station 210, 5255 Eisenhower Avenue

The Neighborhood Pharmacy in Del Ray will host Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne, G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and DEA Chief of Diversion Control John Martin for the event at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

"We greatly appreciate our dedicated partners who join us in fighting the opioid problem with initiatives like Drug Take Back," said Lawhorne in a statement. "Thanks to business partners like The Neighborhood Pharmacy, law enforcement leaders like U.S. Attorney Terwilliger, and our caring community, we can work together to make Alexandria safer."

The event intends to prevent the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs. Studies show that drug abuser most often take prescription drugs from family and friends, often from the medicine cabinet. The collections provide an alternative to flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, which can create safety and health hazards.

During the last Drug Take Back Day in October 2018, 914,236 pounds of unused drugs were collected nationwide, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray and Inova Alexandria Hospital also serve as year-round drop-off sites for unused drugs.

You can find other collection sites for Drug Take Back Day at www.deatakeback.com.