KNOX COUNTY – Knox County participated in the National Drug Take Back Day on Apr. 24, when 104.84 pounds of expired and unused drugs were collected and safely disposed of.
The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day focuses on responsible and safe ways of getting rid of prescription drugs, as well as educating the public about medication abuse.
"KSAAT would like to thank the Knox County Sheriff's Office, Fredericktown Police Department, Danville Police Department and the Mount Vernon Police Department for leading each drop-off location as well as the volunteers that donated their time to make this event a success," the Knox Substance Abuse Action Team (KSAAT) said in a press release.
A 2019 survey revealed that 9.7 million U.S. residents misused prescribed pain relievers, 4.9 million misused prescription stimulants and 5.9 million misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives.
Of the 104.84 pounds of medication that were collected in Knox County, 68.8 pounds were taken in Mount Vernon at Knox Public Health and Conway's Eastside Pharmacy at the Knox Community Hospital Medical Pavilion, 9.44 pounds were from Centerburg Foster's Pharmacy, 18.6 pounds were from the Danville Police Department and 8 pounds were from the Fredericktown Police Department.
Those who missed the Drug Take Back Day but have medications to dispose of can still drop them off anonymously at any of the year-round drop boxes. These locations are the Knox County Sheriff's Office, the Fredericktown Police Department, the Danville Police Department, the Mount Vernon Police Department, Rite-Aid-Mount Vernon and CVS-Mount Vernon.
"KSAAT thanks all of you for cleaning out your medicine cabinets to make Knox County safer!" KSAAT said in the release. "We are all a part of the solution."
