Clark County Sheriff’s Office nets another big haul at drug take back event

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office collected, 20 “33 gallon-sized trash bags full of pills,” on National Drug Take Back Day this fall, according to Detective Brian Melchi of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office collected unused and unwanted medicine, as well as vaping and e-cigarette devices, at the Springview Government Center in Springfield and at Tecumseh High School in New Carlisle in late October.

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“It was cold and it was raining and people still came out like you wouldn’t believe,” Melchi said in summarizing the amount of drugs the sheriff’s office collected. “Just the amount of medications we have been collecting, it has doubled and tripled what we ever used to do.”

In addition to medicine collected at two pick-up sites, the trash bags were also filled with items dropped off at the sheriff’s office drug disposal box. The drug disposal box is located in the Clark County Sheriff’s Office lobby in downtown Springfield year-round.

Started by the DEA, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day was created with the purpose of helping adults clean out their medicine cabinets. Drug Take Back Days are held twice a year.

April's Take Back results: Clark County Sheriff's Office collects over 300 pounds of meds on Drug Take Back Day

According to the DEA’s website, the DEA collected and destroyed a little under 900,000 pounds, or close to 441 tons of potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

Over 50,000 pounds of medication came from Ohio alone. In 2019, the state collected 556,243 pounds of medication.

Last year, the DEA collected and destroyed close to one million pounds, nearly 475 tons of unused and unwanted prescription drugs, making it the most successful event in DEA history.

During the first take-back event of the year in April, the sheriff’s office collected over 300 pounds of unwanted medicine.

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