The Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County is supporting the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 23 across Lorain County.
In April, Lorain County Drug Take Back events resulted in the collection of 3,883.7 pounds of prescription drugs, according to a news release from the MHARS Board.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., volunteers will provide free locking medication safes and other drug safety resources across the county at the locations noted below with an asterisk.
At the locations listed without an asterisk, visitors can drop off their medications with law enforcement officers or other personnel for disposal.
All are encouraged to clean out their medicine cabinets of potentially harmful drugs by safely disposing of them at this free, confidential annual event, the release said.
Locations in Lorain County include:
Amherst Police Department* – 911 N. Lake St.
Avon Lake Police Department – 32855 Walker Road
Avon Police Department – 36145 Detroit Road
Columbia Township Fire Department – 25540 Royalton Road
Elyria Police Department* – 18 West Ave.
Grafton Police Department* – 1009 Chestnut St
Kipton Police Department* – 299 State St.
LaGrange Police Department – 301 Liberty St.
Lorain County Sheriff’s Office* – 9896 Murray Ridge Road in Elyria
Lorain Police Department* – 200 W. Erie Ave.
North Ridgeville Department* – 7303 Avon-Belden Road
Oberlin Police Department – 85 S. Main St.
Sheffield Lake Police Department* – 609 Harris Road
Sheffield Village Police Department – 4340 Colorado Ave.
Vermilion Police Department* – 5791 Liberty Ave.
Wellington Police Department* – 117 Willard Memorial Square
The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue, the release said.
The MHARS Board said that according to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives in 2019.
The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
The Drug Enforcement Agency is leading the national effort.
Take Back Day events provide an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths, the release said.
For more information, visit mharslc.org/recovery.
