On Saturday, October 23, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and One Prevention Alliance will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your medications for disposal to the Sheriff’s Office at 200 Vancouver Avenue, Stevenson, WA 98648. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. It will also be very easy; you won’t even need to get out of your car. With opioid overdose deaths increasing during the pandemic, it is not surprising that the Drug Enforcement Administration has set aside October 23rd as a nationwide Drug Take Back Day.

At its last Take Back Day in April, Skamania County Sheriff’s Office collected 75 pounds of expired, unwanted, and unused prescription medications. Over the 10-year span of Take Back Day, DEA has brought in more than 6,800 tons of prescription drugs. With studies indicating a majority of abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets, clearing out unused medicine is essential.

Our Skamania County Sheriff’s Office site will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs will not be accepted. This site will accept vaping devices and cartridges at its drop off locations provided lithium batteries are removed.

One Prevention Alliance will be giving away SaferLock Boxes so that families can secure their medication by locking it up. Whether or not you have unused medication to dispose of on October 23rd, you are invited to “drive thru” to acquire a FREE locking medicine box.