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LANNWS-04-01-23 ROPER COL ON DEA TACK BACK DAY Don Roper
Don Roper
Your Lancaster Police Department cares about the health and safety of our community.
That’s why I am asking that you help us by encouraging your family and neighbors to bring any unused or expired medications to one of the drop-off locations during the upcoming DEA Take Back Day on April 22 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
There will be three Take Back locations for your convenience. The Lancaster Police Department, 405 E. Arch St., will be a drop-off location, as will the Del Webb Library, 7641 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land, and Kershaw Town Hall, 113 S. Hampton St., Kershaw. So bring any unused medications and meet staff from each sponsoring agency. Together, we can help make sure these drugs do not get into the wrong hands in our community. Several agencies work together to share the importance of proper disposal for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. As we continue to face this issue, fighting it should be a shared mission for all of us in Lancaster County. The Coalition for Healthy Youth, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and the Lancaster Police Department team up with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to host events twice a year, in April and October, that will allow for the proper disposal of potentially dangerous expired, unused or unwanted medications.
We encourage all citizens to safely store medications while they are being taken, and then to properly dispose of any unused or expired medications once treatment is completed. Studies show year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, often by stealing them from someone’s home medicine cabinet.
Lancaster County has four permanent drop boxes available for medicine disposal year-round. They are at 1520 Pageland Highway in Lancaster, 1821 Sandal Brook Road in Indian Land, 113 S. Hampton St. in Kershaw, and at the Lancaster Police Department, 405 E. Arch St. These drop boxes cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
The DEA Take Back Day is an opportunity for all residents to join our fight. The victims of this epidemic have been spread across all races, all ages and all socioeconomic statuses, so it is necessary for us all to play a small role in a big fight.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about past Take Back Day events, go to https://www.coalitionforhealthyyouth.org/projects-6.
Don Roper is chief of the Lancaster Police Department.
