Media Release: For Immediate Release

10/13/2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 The Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office, New Market Police Department and Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River will be participating in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Take-Back Initiative.

 This program will be held from 10 AM - 2 PM on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at the Shenandoah County Administration Building, Board Room in Woodstock. There will also be a collection site at the New Market Police Department on the same date and time.

 Although this effort is a nationwide event, promoting a local collection site is intended to assist citizens of Shenandoah County in removing potentially dangerous controlled substances from their homes and prevent their unintended use, abuse or introduction into the North Fork of the Shenandoah.  Medicines left around the home are highly susceptible to misuse and abuse.  A significant portion of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.  Unused and improperly discarded pharmaceuticals pose a major public health and safety risk and can contaminate our rivers and our drinking water. If these drugs are flushed down the toilet, they pass through waste water treatment plants and end up in our rivers, which are the source of drinking water for many of our citizens.

 Procedures established by the DEA are as follows: 

1. This program is entirely voluntary and anonymous.  Every effort will be made to protect the privacy of individuals disposing of medications.

2. Expired, unused or unwanted prescription and over the counter solid dosage (tablets and capsules) medications will be accepted.  Medications may be disposed of in their original containers (remove personal information) or by removing the medication from the container and dumping directly into the disposal box at the collection site.

3. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container, with the cap tightly sealed to prevent leakage.

4. Intravenous solutions, injectibles, and syringes will not be accepted.

5. Illegal or illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine will not be accepted.

6. Collected medicines will be incinerated in accordance with all applicable state and federal regulations.

The drug collection will be conducted by law enforcement personnel and released to the DEA for proper disposal.  The Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah is assisting in the promotion and advertisement of the event locally.

For further information, please telephone Deputy Jessica Overman at the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office, (540) 481-0814 or Leslie Mitchell-Watson, Executive Director of Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, (540) 459-8550.