Rutherford County Sheriff's Office Joins DEA for Prescription Drug Take Back Day
County officials did not publicize the bi-annual event, to be held Saturday at the senior center.
On Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office will host DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day at the Rutherford County Senior Center. This is one of many scheduled throughout the country. The DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. For more than a decade, the event has helped Americans easily rid their homes of unneeded medications—those that are old, unwanted, or expired—that too often become a gateway to addiction.
Take Back Day offers free anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at nearly 5,000 local drop-off locations nationwide.
What: National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
When: Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Who: Hunter Haynes, Narcotics, Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office / Rutherford County Senior Center
Where: Rutherford County Senior Center, 193 Callahan Koon Rd. Spindale, NC 28160
In partnership with local law enforcement, Take Back Day has removed 8,950 tons of medication from circulation since its inception. Collection sites will not accept syringes, sharps, and illicit drugs. Liquid products should remain sealed in their original container. The cap must be tightly sealed to prevent leakage. For more information and to find a collection site near you, visit DEATakeBack.com.
Beyond DEA’s Take Back Day event this Saturday, there are also opportunities to regularly and safely dispose of unneeded medications at close to 17,000 pharmacies, hospitals, and businesses working to help clean out medicine cabinets throughout the year. In addition, many police departments provide year-round drop boxes.
Rutherford County officials did not publicize this event on their website. It is unclear why. The October event was mentioned in the county manager’s report. It was not in the April 2024 report, released today. I contacted Hunter Haynes when I saw his name on the DEA website to get more information. “I am the county’s representative for the DEA takeback now that I am on narcotics. They have done one every year. The only thing that has changed is that now I am over it and responsible for getting us registered,” he said.
Haynes won the Republican primary election in March for one of the county commissioner seats. He does not have a challenger in November, therefore he is scheduled to be sworn into office in December 2024. He said he would remain at the Sheriff’s Office.
Stay tuned for more details about Haynes and the other winner, Donnie Haulk, soon. (Click here for election results, in case you missed it in March.)
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