The Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Carrboro Police Department, and Safekids Orange County are participating in National Drug Take Back Day at the Harris Teeter in Carrboro this Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon.
Drug Take Back day provides a free, no-questions asked way for residents to discard expired, unwanted, or excess medication.
Safekids Orange County (NC) is one of more than 400 coalition members of Safekids Worldwide, a non-profit dedicated to keeping kids safe from preventable injuries.
Safekids Worldwide reports 52,000 children under the age of six were seen in emergency rooms in 2017 in the US for medication poisoning. Stated another way, one child is seen in an emergency room every 10 minutes as a result of accidental ingestion of medication.
“The community’s participation in Medication Take Back Day goes a long way toward avoiding medication being accidentally taken,” said Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood in a release. “It is simply not safe to store any excess medication once it is no longer needed.”
Addictive prescription drugs, often painkillers, remaining after an individual recovers from a surgery or illness, are another problem. “Unfortunately, this kind of medicine is often stolen from our homes, or it is abused or sold by family members or visitors,” said Blackwood. “We are participating in this collection on Saturday to provide a convenient option for the community, especially those in the southern part of the county, to make their homes safer.”
In addition to periodic Drug Take Back events, the office also has a free, permanent, no-questions-asked drop box in the lobby of the agency at 106 E. Margaret Lane in Hillsborough. It is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Wednesday, the office is open until 7 p.m.
Featured image via Carrboro Police
