Prescriptions: Don’t be a dealer.

Keep them safe. Clean them out. Take them back.

Garrett County is participating in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 16th Prescription Drug Take Back Day on October 27, 2018, which reminds everyone: Don’t be a dealer. Keep them safe. Clean them out. Take them back.

“Too often, unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands,” said Sadie Liller, Prevention Coordinator at the Garrett County Health Department. “That’s dangerous and often tragic. That’s why it is so important to clean out your medicine cabinet and turn in your prescription medications. It is safe and anonymous.”

The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is designed to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

Across the nation from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on October 27th, people are asked to visit one of more than four-thousand National Take Back sites to dispose of unused, expired, or unneeded medication. However, in Garrett County, three permanent drop boxes are available for disposal of pills nearly around the clock. Locations and times are: Oakland Town Hall (8:30-4:30); Garrett County Sheriff’s Office (24/7; and McHenry State Police Barrack (24/7).  These drop boxes cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

The national numbers were high for the last National Take Back held in April 2018:

• Law Enforcement Participation: 4,683
• Collection Sites: 5,842
• Weight Collected: 949,046 lbs. (474.5 Tons)

Also on October 27, local residents interested in the drug problems in the region may want to register for and attend the local screening of the Netflix original short documentary Heroin(e) at the Garrett College’s Career Technology Training Center in Accident. The film tells the stories of three Huntington, WV, women (two of them will attend the event) working to break the devastating cycle of drug abuse and overdose while showing a different side of the fight – one of hope.

The event is a partnership between the Garrett County Commission for Women and the Garrett County Health Department. Visit gccw.info/heroine for additional information and to complete the required registration and pay the $10 fee to cover continental breakfast and lunch.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs, the October 27th Take Back Day, or the Heroin(e) showing, call Sadie Liller at the Garrett County Health Department at 301-334-7730 or 301-895-3111.

The local drop boxes are provided by Garrett County Drug-Free Communities Coalition to prevent prescription and opioid abuse, in cooperation with the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police, Oakland Town Hall, the Behavioral Health Administration, and SAMSHA.

By Diane Lee, Public Information Officer, Garrett County Health Department