MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Shoppers flocked to the Giant on Cumberland Parkway in Upper Allen Township, Cumberland County to get rid of old and unused prescriptions, as part of National Drug Take Back Day.
"(The) DEA reports that thousands and thousands of pounds of opioid medication have been taken out of circulation by these drug take back days," said Dr. Matthew Kelly, president of the Pennsylvania Orthopedic Society.
Kelly said the US Drug Enforcement Agency has sponsored the nationwide event for over 20 years. He said the event allows people to properly dispose of old prescriptions.
"The National Drug Take Back Day is a way to safely remove these drugs from the streets and from our homes," said Kelly.
With the opioid crisis affecting thousands of people across the country, Dr. Kelly said Drug Take Back Day helps local communities fight against drug abuse.
"When they're at home, they can be a source for addiction," said Dr. Kelly. "That's one of the ways that addiction can start, just through a simple opioid medication that is prescribed."
Community members are committed to helping stop potential abuse one pill bottle at a time.
"The opioid addiction crisis has been a problem for many years, as you know. This one program, the Take Back Day, is not going to solve that," said Kelly. "But it's one of the many small things we can do to try to initiate efforts to decrease the amount of medication that's out there."
According to the DEA, over 8,000 tons of unused prescriptions have been collected across the US in 23 years.
