Goodwin Urges Public To Continue Prescription Drug Fight In Seventh Federal Takeback Event

Latest installment of highly successful take-back initiative set for Saturday, October 26, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

CHARLESTON, W.VA. - U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin today asked West Virginians to continue their overwhelming support for the federal Prescription Drug Take-Back initiative, which so far has removed more than 11 tons of unwanted prescription drugs from homes and medicine cabinets in the Mountain State, and more than 1,409 tons nationwide. The seventh national Prescription Drug Take-Back event is scheduled for Saturday, October 26, 2013, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Begun in September 2010 as a way to fight the scourge of prescription drug abuse in West Virginia and around the country, the Prescription Drug Take-Back program is organized by federal law enforcement authorities in cooperation with state and local police departments in all 50 states.

With the latest installment of the take-back initiative set to kick off, U.S. Attorney Goodwin looked back at the progress made over the past three years. “When we started this event in 2010, we didn’t know what to expect,” Goodwin said. “We saw the need for a place to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs, but the response was hard to predict. In the three years since, West Virginians and Americans have stepped up beyond our wildest expectations. Through these take-back events, tens of thousands of West Virginians are doing their part to fight prescription drug abuse---our state’s worst crime problem.”

“From zero to more than 1,409 tons nationwide in three years is a remarkable accomplishment,” Goodwin continued. “Those of us who were there at the beginning are thrilled by how far this has come, and we welcome the many public officials who’ve decided they want to be part of the success.”

“I’ve prosecuted over 250 drug dealers since taking office,” Goodwin said. “But I’ve always said we can’t simply prosecute our way out of this problem. It’s essential to stop people from becoming addicted in the first place, and addicts often get started with pills that have been forgotten in a friend or relative’s medicine cabinet.”

The Prescription Drug Take-Back initiative is coordinated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, an agency of the United States Department of Justice.

Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., West Virginians can drop off their unwanted prescription drugs at more than 130 drop-off locations statewide, including police stations, designated shopping centers, and local pharmacies. At all locations, drop-offs are accepted with no questions asked. For a full list of take-back locations, go to www.dea.gov.