Talbot County Sheriff’s deputies will collect unused prescription medications from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 24, at the fire departments in Trappe, St. Michaels and Oxford.
Deputies will have collection sites set up at all three fire departments. Collection includes unwanted medications, vitamins and supplements — vape pens, inhalers, sharps and needles are NOT accepted. This program is anonymous – no questions asked, no identification required. The sites also will include free educational materials along with free disposal and storage solutions, like Deterra bags, from the Talbot County Health Department (TCHD). Beth Williams, prevention consultant with TCHD, will provide free, on-site Narcan trainings at the St. Michaels event for the duration, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
April 24 is National Drug Take-Back Day, an annual collection event sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The DEA also sponsors a collection event each October; last year’s event saw nearly 500 tons of medications collected across more than 4,500 sites – the most collected in the program’s 10-year history.
Unused or expired prescription medications pose a serious public safety issue – proper disposal helps prevent misuse and abuse and helps save lives.
“Overdoses have become the leading cause of accidental deaths in people younger than 50,” said Talbot County Sheriff Joe Gamble. “Many people who start using prescription painkillers recreationally get them from a family member or friend’s medicine cabinet, so proper disposal really makes a difference. Please take advantage of this take back day to keep your family and friends safe!”
Due to the pandemic, masks are required at all collection sites. If you have any symptoms or feel sick, please stay home. You may contact the health department for at-home storage and disposal solutions.
In addition to this year’s take-back day initiative, a permanent, year-round, 24-hour a day, 7-days a week disposal box is located at the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office at 28712 Glebe Road, at the south end of the Talbot County Business Center. Other disposal locations in the county include the Maryland State Police Barrack at 7503 Ocean Gateway in Easton (24 hour). The drop box at Oxford Police Department at 101 Market St. in Oxford is open by appointment only. The drop box at St. Michaels Police Department is currently closed due to the pandemic.
For more information on National Take-Back Day visit www.takebackday.dea.gov.
An initiative from the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office and Tidewater Rotary, in partnership with Talbot County Public Schools, Saints Peter & Paul School and the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, Talbot Goes Purple empowers our youth and our community to ‘Go Purple’ as a sign of taking a stand against substance abuse.
More information about Talbot Goes Purple is available at www.talbotgoespurple.org. Find us on Facebook @TalbotGoesPurple or contact us at talbotgoespurple@gmail.com.
Talbot Goes Purple is a component fund of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization – donations to which are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
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