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CHARLESTON -- West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced his office will take part in this weekend's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by partnering with law enforcement and substance abuse prevention groups across West Virginia.
Representatives from the Attorney General's Office will assist state, county, and municipal agencies and groups in staffing Take Back sites around the state on Saturday, Oct. 28.
The Attorney General's Office is also coordinating with Capitol Police and the state Department of Homeland Security at a Take Back location from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, at the State Capitol Complex Safe Zone adjacent to the Culture Center at the Greenbrier/Washington Street entrance.
"Events like this are vitally important to keeping potentially dangerous drugs off our streets," Attorney General Morrisey said. "If anyone has unused or unwanted prescription drugs, especially opioids and other pain medications, I encourage them to bring them in to be safely discarded and destroyed."
"Take Back Day is another way we are working to keep opioids out of our communities and help identify overprescribing in West Virginia."
"It's crucial to emphasize our unwavering dedication to ensuring the safe disposal of unused or unwanted prescription drugs throughout the year," Capitol Police Director Kevin Foreman said. "Our office also proudly hosts a designated drop-off box, which we encourage the community to use at their convenience all year long. We are all working diligently to keep our community safe.
The Attorney General's Office has participated in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day each year since 2013.
The office's locations this weekend will be among the more than 60 collection sites in West Virginia.
As part of Take Back Day, the Attorney General's Office will assist the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office at 893 Cook Pkwy. in Oceana and the Beckley Police Department at 501 Neville St. in Beckley.
"It is very encouraging to know that our great state actively participates in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day," Gov. Jim Justice said. "The commitment from our law enforcement and communities is a testament to our state's determination to keep West Virginia safe and prescription drugs out of the wrong hands. I'm very thankful for those who are willing to defend our state from the harmful effects of prescription drug abuse."
"National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is more than just an event because the message is something we promote all year long," Mark Sorsaia, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said. "It is about protecting our communities from the dangers of unneeded prescription drugs. Our partnership with law enforcement and the Attorney General's Office exemplifies our collective mission to protect our communities."
The DEA spearheads Drug Take Back Day, which was launched in 2010. During the event, local and state law enforcement agencies collect unused medication and responsibly dispose of it.
The DEA typically hosts two prescription drug Take Back days per year--one in the spring and one in the fall.
The Attorney General Public Health Trust previously awarded prescription drug incinerators to law enforcement agencies across the state. The incinerators are used to destroy unwanted/expired pills and are shared among law enforcement agencies.
The incinerators were awarded through the Dispose Responsibly of Prescriptions (DRoP) initiative, which also distributed drug disposal drop boxes throughout the state.