Drug take back day nets 300 lbs of unused drugs

From the Maryland State Police, Prince Frederick Barrack

The Maryland State Police in cooperation with CAASA (Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse) and the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office hosted a Prescription Drug Take Back Day at five different locations within Calvert County.  The take back day netted 300 pounds of unused prescription drugs.

The drop off locations are available seven days a week, 24 hours a day in a continuing effort to keep prescription medications out of the wrong hands.  Keeping a household free of unused prescription medications is an important step to curtailing the prescription drug abuse issue in Calvert County. 

The drop off locations are:  Maryland State Police, Barrack U; Calvert County Sheriff’s Office; Northeast Community Center in Chesapeake Beach; Mt. Hope Community Center in Sunderland; and Southern Community Center in Lusby.

From the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office

CALVERT COUNTY, MARYLAND — The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office and Maryland State Police, Prince Frederick Barrack “U” in partnership with the Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse participated in the DEA National Take Back Day on Saturday, September 26th.

On Take Back Day residents were able to visit specific collection sites located throughout Calvert County to drop off their unused and expired prescription drugs.  The collection sites included: the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police Barrack, Mt. Hope Community Center, Southern Community Center and Northeast Community Center.  A significant quantity of prescription drugs were recovered at the various sites.  The prescriptions will be transported to a DEA facility where they will be destroyed. 

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans need to know that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines, flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, both pose potential safety and health hazards.

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. There are disposal boxes located in front of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police Barrack for citizens to use to drop off drugs at any time.