Tomorrow is National Drug Take Away Day

Tomorrow is the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Drug Takeback Day.

The program is a national effort to properly dispose of expired or unused prescription and over-the-counter medications to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

“In the past, if someone had an expired bottle of antibiotics, it may have simply ended up down the toilet and into our sewer system. Or you know, the opiate crisis is all over the news, people are unfortunately taking medications from someone they know and abusing them themselves,” said Derrick Botkins, Director of Pharmacy Services at LewisGale Hospital.

Last year, LewisGale Medical collected more than five hundred kilos of medicines at six collection locations. Over sixteen thousand pounds was raised across the Commonwealth.

There are collection locations in the New River Valley, Roanoke Valley, Southside, Lynchburg and the Highlands.