Operation Safe Return Event
MEDWAY Drug Enforcement Agency (MEDWAY) will hold an Operation Safe Return event as part of Operation: Medicine Cabinet, and in held cooperation with the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Such turn-in events help protect local teens and other residents by collecting, and properly disposing unwanted or outdate medications. It will be held Saturday, September 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
MEDWAY serves the residents of Wayne and Holmes Counties and the cities of Brunswick and Wadsworth in Medina County. With the support of local law enforcement it will be providing six turn-in locations. Wayne County locations include:
Wayne County Justice Center (Wooster Police & Wayne County Sheriff Depts.) 201 W. North St, Wooster
Orrville Police Department 207 N. Main St, Orrville
Rittman Police Department 30 N. Main St., Rittman
To find the nearest location, visit: www.DrugAwarenessAndPrevention.com.
Local drug prevention coalitions are helping to inform Wayne County residents about the event. CIRCLE (in Wooster), Orrville Turning Point, Rittman C.A.R.E., and Chippewa Care Coalitions, along with STEPS at Liberty Center, help support local law enforcement efforts to reduce prescription drug abuse. Together, the partners’ goal is to help residents in northeast Ohio safely dispose of any outdated or unwanted prescription medications.
“Over the past several years we have seen a substantial increase in the sale and abuse of pharmaceuticals,” said Dave Smith, MEDWAY’s Director. “I feel that this type of program provides our citizens a safe way to dispose of unwanted and outdated prescription drugs. It also reduces the change of those prescriptions being stolen or abused by teenagers and adults. Prescription drug overdoses have been shown to be the leading cause of accidental deaths in Ohio.”
Operation: Medicine Cabinet (a Rx Drugs Turn-in Event) page 2
Individuals and medical professionals in Wayne County, and surrounding communities, are invited to take part.
• Bring unused or outdated prescription medications to the take back sites
• To ensure privacy, remove or blackout the prescription label.
Items that can be turned in at the event include:
• prescription medications
• over-the-counter drugs
• medication samples
• medications for pets
• vitamins
• inhalers
• medicated ointments/lotions
• liquid medicine
The following items will not be accepted at this event.
• hazardous materials
• needles
• thermometers
• IV bags
• aerosol cans
• personal care products
• hydrogen peroxide
• business waste
• bloody and infectious waste
All materials received will be secured and later disposed of by law enforcement agencies, following EPA guidelines.
“Generation RX believes medications prescribed by a doctor to another family member are a safe way to get high. They are wrong.” said Nancy Pommerening, the director of Drug Awareness and Prevention Inc. “Medicine take-back programs also help to protect the environment, by providing a safe way to dispose of prescription drugs before they enter the water supply or leach from landfills.”
CIRCLE (Wooster), Orrville Turning Point, Rittman C.A.R.E. and Chippewa Care Coalitions are community-based, volunteer organizations working to keep area youth drug-free. Drug Awareness and Prevention Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit founded in 2007, seeking to lessen the demand for illicit street drugs through education and proactive prevention programs.
