Lawmen’s Drug Take Back Day ends with bags full of medicines
It’s not often that a guy driving by with a bagful of drugs in hand doesn’t catch the immediate attention of Jefferson County law enforcement officials, but not Saturday.
It was Arkansas’ 19th annual Drug Take Back Day.
Capt. Yohance Brunson with the sheriff’s office took charge of the bag, no questions asked.
Participating residents were asked to remain in their vehicles while officers collected the drugs.
Five officers worked the parking lot that morning and by 11 a.m., they had collected about six large bags of prescription medications, Brunson said.
Safe disposal of prescription drugs is often a problem for civilians, especially after the death of a family member or if a bottle isn’t used up. And it’s not good for the environment to flush the medicines down the toilet, Brunson said.
Saturday morning, the sheriff’s office, Tri-County Drug Task Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration were collecting legal and illegal drugs at the Super 1 Foods, 2800 S. Hazel St., while in White Hall, officers were at their headquarters, 8204 Dollarway Road.
A JOINT EFFORT
Drugs were collected at about 250 places across the state Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
It’s often difficult to prop Noted
erly dispose of unused prescription drugs, and, Mickey Buffkin, White Hall Police Department major of operations, said, “It’s illegal to sell or give away prescription drugs.”
This program provides people a way to safely dispose of drugs, many include addictive painkillers, and possibly prevent future drug addiction or an accidental overdose.
The collected drugs will be sent to the Arkansas State Police headquarters in Little Rock to be destroyed, Buffkin said.
Unlike other areas of the country and the state, the White Hall department, along with all Jefferson County law enforcement agencies, has a dropbox in its front lobby.
“Anyone can come in, unseen, and drop prescription drugs in our dropbox,” Buffkin said.
The service is available to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
A MANMADE PANDEMIC
The DEA, which sponsors such events all across the country, has collected some 11 million pounds of expired, unwanted or unused prescription medications over the years.
The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day “addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue,” according to the DEA website.
The DEA stated that, according to a 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.9 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs that year, adding that many get prescription drugs from family members or friends.