Charles County Sheriff’s Office Joins DEA in Medication-Take-Back Initiative
Special Event Highlights Importance of Safe Medication Disposal
On Saturday, September 26, between 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., the Charles County Sheriff’s Office will join the DEA in the National Medications-Take-Back initiative – a program held yearly to encourage people with unwanted prescription medications to dispose of them in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. Although the CCSO offers residents the opportunity to dispose of unwanted medications at any time, the Agency is promoting this national event to highlight the importance of ridding homes of medicines that are no longer needed.
Rates of prescription drug abuse are alarmingly high, particularly among teens and young adults who often get the drugs from a family member or friend, including the home medicine cabinet. “This is an important program because unwanted medicines can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way and even more importantly, the medicines will no longer be available to people who might abuse them,” said Sheriff Troy D. Berry.
Sheriff Berry said prescription drugs, like Oxycodone and Percocet, are popular among addicts who often turn to stealing or robbing to feed their habits. “Drug addiction has a significant impact on crime, not to mention the toll it takes on the addict, their families, and friends,” Sheriff Berry said. “Over the past few years, we have collected more than 100 pounds of unwanted prescription pills that could have easily gotten into the hands of curious teens.”
To drop off unwanted medications, simply bring the medicines to either the Waldorf station at 3670 Leonardtown Road or the La Plata station at 6855 Crain Highway; medications can be turned in at the District II station in Bryans Road during regular business hours.
Prescription, non-prescription, pet medicines and vitamins are accepted but they must be in tablets, capsules, and other solid dosage forms. Intravenous solutions, injectibles, and syringes are not accepted. For additional information, visit www.ccso.us.
Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, texting CHARLES + the tip to CRIMES (274637) or submitting tips online at tipsubmit.com. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. Learn more at the CCSO’s website.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is a full-service law enforcement agency comprised of more than 600 police, corrections and civilian personnel responsible for protecting more than 150,000 residents. The CCSO was accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 2001 and has been designated as a CALEA Gold Standard of Excellence agency since 2011. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit www.ccso.us.
Media Contact
Diane Richardson
301-609-6557
richardsond@ccso.us