Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Is April 25

Local law enforcement agencies are partnering this month for the first locally run Prescription Drug “Take-Back” Day in Loudoun County.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Town of Leesburg Police Department, the Town of Middleburg Police Department and the Town of Purcellville Police Department will carry out the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) initiative, which aims to prevent increased pill abuse and theft.

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

“As the abuse of prescription drugs remains an issue in our community, we are encouraging all citizens to take advantage of this free opportunity to properly dispose of expired or unwanted prescription medications,” Leesburg Police Chief Joseph Price said in a statement from the sheriff’s office.

The take-back event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at six locations:

• The Eastern Loudoun Sheriff’s Station at 46620 East Frederick Drive in Sterling.
• The Dulles South Public Safety Center at 25216 Loudoun County Parkway in South Riding.
• The Lansdowne Public Safety Center at 19845 Sandridge Way in Lansdowne.
• The Leesburg Police Department at 65 Plaza Street in Leesburg.
• The Middleburg Police Department at the Middleburg Town Hall, 10 W. Marshall St.
• The Purcellville Police Department’s collection site at Bush Tabernacle, at 250 South Nursery Ave. in Purcellville.

Since the inception of the DEA take-back program in 2010, more than 5,000 pounds of unwanted and unused prescription medications have been taken off the streets of Loudoun County, according to the sheriff’s office. The DEA held its final national take-back day in September.

“The program addresses a critical public safety and health issue,” Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said in the sheriff’s office statement. “Fifty percent of overdose cases worked this year are directly attributed to prescription drugs. These unused and unwanted medications often fall into the wrong hands and are misused or abused, and they should be disposed of properly.”

National studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, many Americans 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.