by Gene Galin
Pittsboro, NC – 501 Pharmacy held a “Drug Take Back” day on Friday, April 24 from 1 pm to 4 pm. This event was a collaborative community effort with the Chatham County Sheriff’s department and the non-profit Safest Drug organization.
Pharmacist Han Su said that this was an opportunity for 501 Pharmacy customers or anyone else in the community to turn in over-the-counter and prescription items that people didn’t want in their homes.
Han noted: “That with everyone now being quarantined at home it’s especially important to keep your home safe. This is a great opportunity for everyone to get rid of this unused or expired medicine. They came through our drive-thru and had them packaged up for us.”
People had to place their unwanted or expired prescription or over-the-counter medicines in bags before dropping them off at the 501 Pharmacy drive-thru window.
After 4 pm a deputy from the Chatham County Sheriff’s department showed up to pickup the boxes full of bags of unwanted medicine to dispose of properly.
Getting rid of your unwanted medication this way is safer for the environment. It’s one of the safest and most responsible way to do it.
Han Su hopes to be able to do this kind of drug take back event on a quarterly basis and will post notices of future events of the 501 Pharmacy’s Facebook page, social media accounts and web site.
According to recent studies, more than 7 million Americans abuse prescription drugs, including teenagers misusing prescription drugs to get high for the first time.
The Drug Take Back Day is just one of the efforts the Chatham County Sheriff’s office hopes will help residents better protect themselves and their families from the heartbreak of addiction.
Safest Drug is a non-profit organization that supports community-wide efforts, like the 501 Pharmacy Take Back effort, to ensure pharmaceutical drug waste is properly disposed. They believe that keeping unwanted or expired prescription and over-the-counter medication out of home environments can save lives.