HENRICO COUNTY, Va. –Communities held National Prescription Drug Take Back Day collections across Central Virginia on Saturday.
Kathy Johnson with Henrico Schools said she was thankful for the people who turned over unused or unneeded medications at the Henrico Public Safety Building or the Eastern Henrico Recreation Center.
“Sometimes they build up and a lot of people don't know what to do with them,” Johnson explained.
Medications need to be incinerated, not flushed into the water supply or tossed in the trash.
Johnson, an intervention coordinator for school district, said that simple act can help prevent prescription drug or opioid addiction.
“It's an environmental strategy,” Johnson said. “So you're looking at making the environment safer for our young people.”
“Unfortunately, if a young person were to get a hold of these medications, it could be tragic,” Johnson explained.
That could lead to a situation where the medications are abused, Johnson said.
"They could get into the wrong hands and could lead to an overdose and even death,” she said.
More than 2,200 people died of an overdose in Virginia in 2020.
Johnson said the Take Back events, which happen twice a year, can save lives.
“Take time to get them out of your home and dispose of them safely, then they can't get into the wrong hands of our young people or be used or misused,” Johnson said. “So this is a really safe way to do that.”
Officials urged anyone struggling with substance abuse to call the Henrico Mental Health and Development Emergency Services 24/7 at 804-727-8484.
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