Unused medications collected in Montgomery for Drug Take Back Day

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Piles of pills were poured into boxes outside of Jones Drugs in Montgomery as Saturday marked the 21st DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

The public was asked to pull up and dispose of their unused medications, turning over their tablets, capsules, patches and more to help prevent drug addiction and abuse.

Pharmacy technician Latrice Pritchett had been out on the curb and collecting medicine since the morning.

“It’s been good, it’s been good this morning,” Pritchett said. “We’ve had about ten people this morning – probably more.”

Working in close partnership with local law enforcement, Take Back Day has removed more than 7,000 tons of medication from circulation since it began, making it harder for criminals to get their hands on drugs.

“I’m well aware that we have many homes that are broken into across Montgomery, and across the state every day and one of the tops things that people are looking for when they break into these homes are prescription drugs,” Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey said. “That’s one of the first things they go for is the medicine cabinets to get those drugs.”

This event also provided an opportunity to directly combat the Opioid Epidemic.

“In most cases these are drugs that they get from a friend or from a family member, many times with the best of intentions, but having unused narcotics or opioids around your house is not a good situation and it just lends to many bad possibilities that could happen,” State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said.

While Harris says it is important to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, he acknowledges that there are other health issues – such as drug abuse - that linger on. The Drug Take Back Day is just one way to take it on.

Copyright 2021 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.