Residents ready to get rid of unwanted medicines

Even before Tom Bartley could open his “Got Drugs?” Take Back Initiative site at Kmart on Walnut Avenue on April 28, he had people arriving to drop off drugs.

Those early bird customers did not indicate a false start. In fact, volunteers throughout the day were amazed to see the number of people who participated in the Whitfield/Murray County Drug Free Coalition’s Take Back Initiative. Throughout the day, people continued to come by the location to turn in unused drugs.

“We were thrilled with the turnout we had,” Bartley said. “We had drugs turned in that people had been holding on to for over five years because they did not know what to do with them. Many people said they hoped that this would be a regular event because it was so beneficial. There is no question that our Take Back Day was an unqualified success.”

Other sites proved just as busy.

“We had people dropping off here all day,” said Diane Green, volunteer for the Whitfield-Murray Department of Family and Children Services. “Many were senior adults, but we had just as many young people as well. People were so thankful to have a place to safely deposit their unused medications. “

One lady brought a large grocery bag full of medicine. She said that her husband had passed away several years ago, and she had always needed a place to safely take the medications. She had kept them under lock and key — always worrying that they would fall into the wrong hands — until Saturday.

The benefits of the Take Back campaign were multifaceted. Not only did the sites assure that the drugs were taken off the streets, but also that the drugs were disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. This week, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) came to each of the local law enforcement departments to weigh and collect the drugs.

In total, more than 300 pounds of medicines were turned in. Dalton collected more than 90 pounds, Whitfield County collected more than 125 pounds and Murray County collected more than 100 pounds.

“We never expected that much. I think that is a huge success,” said Suzanne Harbin of Whitfield Family Connection.

Sgt. Barry Batchelor with the Dalton Police Department was thrilled with the project’s success.

“This was so important for our community,” Batchelor said. “We had no idea it would turn out like this. The police department had sponsored an event like this in the past, but when we decided to partner with the Coalition and the other departments, it seemed to really take off. I’m so thankful that people brought these drugs in and that we were able to keep the medicine from going to the landfill, getting into our community’s water supply, or most of all getting into the hands of abusers who could in turn hurt our community just as much.”

Dalton Police Officer Joe Corso was at the Kmart on Walnut Avenue site most of the day. He had a young couple come by to turn in their drugs and then asked him for information regarding their new baby’s car seat. Corso was able to answer questions they had regarding car seat safety and how best to install a car seat. The parents were delighted to have this information.

As the day went on, volunteers and law enforcement officials stood by in amazement as patrol cars filled up with these drugs.

“We quickly realized the containers provided by the DEA were no match for the huge number of drugs we were having turned in,” Harbin said.

The law enforcement officers finally just started locking the drugs into the trunks and back seats of the patrol cars. The back of Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jason Cooley’s Explorer was completely filled. He had his vehicle parked at White’s Pharmacy.

“They just kept piling the drugs in,” Green said.

Lynsey Bethel, a pharmacist at Weaver’s Pharmacy and a volunteer for Take Back, said, “The amount of prescriptions that were brought in that have the potential to be abused or misused really surprised me. I thought we might just collect outdated vitamins and other less harmful drugs. Once I saw what people were bringing in I was so relieved that so many of these potentially dangerous drugs are now off the streets.”

The idea for the Whitfield/Murray Drug Free Coalition to participate in the campaign started as a small grassroots effort on the part of just a few volunteers.

“During our research for the Drug Free Community grant, which the Coalition applied for this spring, we realized that many communities around Georgia were having success with Take Back programs,” Harbin said. “We felt like this was something Whitfield and Murray counties could benefit from as well. We know the drastic effects of ‘Pharm’ parties, where kids are popping an assortment of pills and chasing the pills with alcohol. We are seeing kids die from such parties. And certainly we know the adverse effects of drug abuse throughout our community. If our efforts can keep one youth from attending such a party — or one drug abuser from having access to unused prescriptions — then the campaign was worth it.”

In January when the Coalition started tossing around ideas for the Take Back, organizers had no idea how the campaign would be received.

“Saturday’s efforts went beyond anything we could have imagined. We are thrilled. We look forward to increasing the number of drop-off sites for next year. We learned so much with our first efforts,” Harbin said.

Local News

Search Results

Discussion

Residents ready to get rid of unwanted medicines

Site Map

Contact Us