Goodwin, Law Enforcement Leaders Unveil Permanent Putnam Co. Prescription Collection Bin; Urge West Virginians To Join Prescription Drug Take-back On Saturday

Saturday’s event is the seventh national Prescription Drug Take-Back event

WINFIELD, W.Va. - United States Attorney Booth Goodwin, joined by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Resident Agent in Charge Suzan Williamson and Putnam Co. Sheriff Steve Deweese, today asked West Virginians to reach into their home medicine cabinets and pull out any unused, unwanted or expired prescriptions and turn them in at a drop-off site on Saturday as part of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. The three officials gathered in Winfield to unveil the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department’s new permanent prescription drug collection box.

The latest national Prescription Drug Take-Back Day will be held on Saturday, October 26, 2013, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  More than 130 locations across the state will serve as designated drop-off sites for Saturday’s event. This Saturday’s event is the seventh national Prescription Drug Take-Back. To date, the take-back initiative 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.

“We’ve seen overwhelming response in our first six take-back events,” said U.S. Attorney Goodwin. “That strong public reaction tells us there’s a huge need for places to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs. Putnam County has answered that need with this permanent collection box. I hope to see more local governments follow their lead.”

Goodwin continued, “For many people, particularly teenagers, the road to addiction starts with pills they find in their parents’ or grandparents’ medicine cabinets.  That’s why prescription drug take-back programs are so important. I urge everyone to clean out their medicine cabinets and drop off unneeded medications at a take-back site this Saturday.” 

Putnam County’s new permanent prescription drug collection box was made possible through a partnership between the Putnam Wellness Anti-Drug Coalition and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department.  The collection unit, which will be accessible for citizen prescription drug drop-offs beginning Saturday, October 26 (Prescription Drug Take-Back Day), is located at the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department.  Citizens can drop off any unused and unwanted medications at the new site or any of the designated sites across the state with no questions asked.    

Saturday’s Take-Back event provides an opportunity for people who missed previous events, or who have accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs since the last take-back event, to safely dispose of those medications. 

For more information about take-back locations in West Virginia, please visit www.dea.gov and follow the link for National Prescription Take-Back Day.