4th Annual Prescription Drug Take Back

Friday marked the 4th Annual Prescription Drug Take Back event.

The Boone County Sheriff’s Department has partnered with the Youth Community Coalition for the national movement sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Through Saturday afternoon, people will be able to drop off their unwanted prescription pills legally.

Ryan Worley, with the Youth Community Coalition said, “All of us need to be reminded from time to time about what’s really going on. What’s really going on is folks are abusing them, growing addicted to them and dying from them.”

He said it becomes an issue when young people do not realize how damaging they can be if not taken properly.

Prescription drug abuse is becoming more common on college campuses.

Worley said, “Young people think just because a physician prescribed it that it’s okay to take”.

If not taken properly, problems occur such as lowered heart rate, shortness of breath and even death.

When the pills are collected, the Drug Enforcement Agency comes to get them.

The D-E-A disposes of them in accordance to their departmental guidelines.

Environmental leader, Amy Eultgen said, “When you flush prescription pills down the drain, it contaminates the water supply… Which is then cycled through for drinking water”.

She also said, “It can be fatal to aquatic life.”

Boone County has participated in the national movement for four years.

Since then, they have collected over one million pills.

Worley said, “There is a pill drop-off box in the lobby of the Columbia Police Department, where people can drop-off at any time.”