Saturday is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Local communities across western Massachusetts are collecting unwanted prescriptions on Saturday.

Local residents are encouraged to clean out their medicine cabinets and dispose of unneeded medication for humans and pets on Saturday at locations that are participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

These efforts help to rid the region of unneeded prescription and non-prescription drugs, keeping them out of water sources, and landfills, and preventing misuse.

The Springfield Police Department is partnering with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for this event as a part of an effort to protect American’s safety and health. The CDC says overdose deaths remain a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States.

So the community is welcome to bring their unused prescriptions to Springfield Central High School in the parking lot. This is a no-questions-asked event, so you can drop off the prescription. It will go from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

While the drug overdose epidemic in the U.S. is a public health, public safety, and national security threat, the DEA says this event will help to reduce overdoses and overdose deaths.

Nine communities in Hampshire County are also preparing drug collection sites, and five more towns in Franklin County are participating, according to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office Spokesperson Laurie Loisel.

What these sites do is provide a safe way for people to get rid of any unwanted and needed drugs, which helps to save lives by preventing misuse or accidental ingestion.

Here is a full list of drop-off locations in Hampshire and Franklin County:

• Amherst– Wildwood Elementary, 71 Strong Ave.
• Belchertown– Town Common, Park Street
• Deerfield– Police Department, 8 Conway St.
• Easthampton– Public Safety Complex 32 Payson Ave.
• Hadley– Public Safety Complex 15 East St.
• Leverett– Police Department, 90 Montague Road
• Montague– Police Department, 180 Turnpike Road
• Northampton– Smith Vocational & Agricultural High School, 80 Locust St.
• Pelham– Police Department, 2 South Valley Road
• Orange– Walmart parking lot, 555 East Main St.
• South Hadley– Police Department, 41 Bridge St.
• Sunderland– Police Department, 105 River Road
• Williamsburg– Williams Hardware, 49 Main St. (Route 9)
• Worthington– Highway Department, 64 Huntington Road

“It’s crucial to remain vigilant about removing drugs from homes to prevent misuse,” said Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan. “It’s really common sense: In the midst of an overdose epidemic, prescription drugs must not be allowed to sit around. It’s much safer for children, teens, and even pets to remove these substances from homes, not to mention our friends and loved ones struggling with addiction.”