NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Police across the country and here in Hampton Roads offered folks the chance to clear out their medicine cabinets and safely dispose of prescription drugs Saturday through National Drug Take Back Day.
The day allows people to turn in unused or expired prescription drugs to police.
Police say they wanted to prevent drugs from being misused, stolen or mixed up with other drugs people are currently taking. They also say they don’t want people to unintentionally become a dealer by selling drugs they don’t need.
“It helps alleviate accidental overdoses also if you have pets that might get into it. And we don’t want people to unknowingly become dealers of medicine especially those that are opioids. We want them to give those back to people are getting it into their hands and selling it.”
Since the day was created in 2010, police have taken in thousands of pounds of medication drugs every year.