On Saturday, Oct. 29, the Longwood and Farmville communities came together to support the National Take Back Initiative. This is a nationwide event where various prescription drugs are collected by law enforcement agencies so they are properly disposed of every six months.
According to the Partnership for a Drug Free America, nearly 2,000 teenagers will get high off these drugs every day. This effort hopes to prevent the abuse of prescription drugs while acting as a location where people can safely and anonymously drop off their old medications. The Farmville Police Department and the Longwood University Police Department (LUPD) collected the drugs at the Longwood Landings between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., making the process as convenient as possible.
Detective Christopher Moss with the Farmville Police Department was one of several officers who helped collect the various medications. "It gives folks an opportunity if they have an unused or expired medication at home. It could be prescription pills or non-prescription over-the-counter medicine, or even some veterinary medicine that was prescribed to someone's dog," said Moss.
Earlier in the year, the same event collected nearly 20 pounds of unwanted or expired drugs. Once the drugs are collected, an officer will take them to the Virginia State Police Division 3 Headquarters in Appomattox, Va. where they will be properly destroyed.
By the end of the afternoon on Saturday, 33.2 pounds of drugs were collected, a large amount donated by Farmville community members. The police departments advertised the event through various media resources such as local newspapers, as well as the local radio station WFLO 95.7 FM and Longwood's WMLU 91.3 FM.
"Longwood Police Department was the first to participate in this last September and we collected 12 pounds. At that time, it was all on campus and it didn't get as advertised as well. Then Officer Moss got up with me and said, ‘Hey, why don't we do this as a joint effort?'" said Officer James K. Thorpe of LUPD.
In 2010, Congress amended the Controlled Substances Act so the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) could create a way for the proper collection and disposal of prescription drugs. That same year, President Barack Obama signed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act. These events have brought in nearly 309 tons of prescription drugs with the help of roughly 4,000 law enforcement agencies participating. Nationwide totals for this Take Back Day are still being calculated.
National Take Back Day was one of the many activities of Red Ribbon Week (Oct. 22-30). Red Ribbon Week is about celebrating a drug free lifestyle while creating awareness and providing knowledge to the community and the classroom. The week also remembers the fallen DEA agent, Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, who lost his life in Mexico trying to prevent drug trafficking into the United States.
The Farmville Police Department and LUPD hope to take part in the next Take Back event, as the past two have turned out increasingly successful. Prescription drug abuse is a problem in the world today and the efforts of various law enforcement agencies are working hard to eliminate the exploitation of these drugs. The collection day has also helped to reduce the improper disposal of prescription drugs nationwide. For more information on National Take Back Day, visit http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/.
