Drug Take Back Day Set for April 24 at Walmart

It’s time for the DEA’s Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and the Sallisaw NOW Coalition is once again spearheading collection efforts.

Members of Sallisaw NOW will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 24, at the Sallisaw Walmart, with drop boxes to allow folks to safely dispose of any expired or unwanted medication.

The National Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

In addition to the drop boxes, coalition members will have medication lock boxes, NARCAN drug overdose reversal kits and Deterra Drug Deactivation System pouches available.

Amy Edwards, Sallisaw NOW’s prevention services director, says this is the sixth year her agency has participated in the event in partnership with the Sallisaw Police Department and Walmart.

She said the Drug Take Back Day is important to the community because “so many drugs get in the wrong hands.” In 2020, she said, nearly 84,000 people in the United States died of drug overdoses. She added that about 64.5 percent of those addicted to opioids don’t have a prescription for the drugs themselves.

The National Drug Take Back Day is held twice a year, Edwards said, on the last Saturdays of April and October.

According to DEA statistics, in October 2020, 492.7 tons of medication were collected during the 19th National Drug Take Back Day.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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