YORK, Pa. — Wegmans Food Markets announced its stores are partnering with local law enforcement agencies across seven states, including Pennsylvania, to host community prescription medication drop-off events on Saturday.
The event gives community members the opportunity to remove potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs from their homes. The service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked.
In Central Pennsylvania, Wegmans locations in Mechanicsburg and Lancaster will offer drop-off boxes in their stores.
Wegman's Mechanicsburg is located at 6416 Carlisle Pike. The Wegman's in Lancaster is at 2000 Crossings Boulevard.
"Prescription medications play an important role in the health of millions of Americans, but unused and expired medications that remain in homes can pose significant public health and safety concerns due to their high susceptibility to diversion, misuse, and abuse," Wegmans said in a press release. "Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses. Studies show that more than half of all people who first misuse prescription drugs get them from their friends, relatives, or take them without asking.
York County residents can drop off unwanted or expired prescription or over-the-counter medications at four locations across the county thanks to a collaborative effort from the York Opioid Collaborative, the York County District Attorney’s Office, Springettsbury Township Police, Fairview Township Police and York College Campus Safety Police.
Since the inception of National Medication Take Back Day, over 8,950 tons of medications have been collected across the United States.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs, go to the https://takebackday.dea.gov/.
