Drug Take Back Day Saturday In Berea

BEREA, OH — Berearesidents will be able to safely dispose of unwanted prescription drugs at an event on Saturday. The program is confidential and no personal information will be collected during the event.

“Disposing of leftover painkillers or other addictive medicines in the house is one of the best ways to prevent a member of your family from becoming a victim of the opioid epidemic,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert W. Patterson in a statement. “More people start down the path of addiction through the misuse of opioid prescription drugs than any other substance. The abuse of these prescription drugs has fueled the nation’s opioid epidemic, which has led to the largest rate of overdose deaths this country has ever seen.”

Residents will be able to go to the Berea Walgreens, 6 E. Bagley Rd., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 28. Police will be on-hand to safely remove the drugs.

“We know of many cases where leftover pain pills have led to an opioid addiction,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “Properly disposing of these pills is one important step anyone can take to get involved in turning the tide on the opioid epidemic that has caused so much pain here in Ohio.”

The drug take back initiative is part of a nationwide movement spearheaded by the DEA. The U.S. Attorney's Office says there are more than 5,000 sites across the U.S. that will be taking part in Saturday's collection.

Over the past seven years, the DEA has run 14 drug take back days. This year, in April, the DEA hosted its first drug take back day in 2017. During that month, the public handed over about 450 tons, or 900,000 pounds, of prescription drugs.

There were 5,500 drug drop-off sites operated by the DEA in April and another 4,200 run by state and community law enforcement.

Since the inception of the event, the DEA and other law enforcement agencies have taken in a staggering 8.1 million pounds of pills.

No needles or liquids will be accepted during the event.

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