Dispose of Unwanted Medications in Alexandria Saturday

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- Saturday, April 29 is National Drug Take-Back Day, a reminder that prescription medications can be harmful if children and pets get a hold of them. To avoid potential medical emergencies, the easiest solution is to dispose of them with local law enforcement.

Individuals can confidentially drop off unused prescription drugs with Alexandria Sheriff's deputies Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at locations around the city:

• The Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray: 2204 Mount Vernon Avenue
• Alexandria Police Headquarters: 3600 Wheeler Avenue
• First Baptist Church: 2932 King Street
• Fire Station 210: 5255 Eisenhower Avenue

The Sheriff's Office and Alexandria Police have partnered with the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria to offer drop-off sites. Last year, individuals turned in over 893,000 pounds of unused medicines at 4,200 DEA-operated collection sites nationwide.

There are other safe ways to throw away unused medications any other time of the year. The Food and Drug Administration warns individuals to not flush medications, unless it is stated in disposal instructions. Throwing medications in the trash is ok, as long as you follow certain steps to ensure people or animals will not accidentally encounter the drugs. Find out more information on how to dispose of medications any time in the year online.

The medication drop off is a step in addressing drug abuse has raised concerns in the community. In 2016, Virginia had 1,420 drug-related deaths, nearly 400 more than the previous year, according to a new Virginia Department of Health Report.

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