442 lbs. of unwanted prescription drugs collected

Last Saturday, April 30, the Newport News Police Department participated in the eleventh National Prescription Drug Take-Back Initiative (NTBI) event. The Newport News Police Department was one of numerous law enforcement agencies sponsoring one or more registered NTBI collection points across the state of Virginia.

Sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), this initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that sit and deteriorate in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Once again, this event was a success with the North Precinct collecting 163 lbs., the Central Precinct collecting 259 lbs., and the South Precinct collecting 20 lbs. A total of 442 lbs. of unwanted prescription drugs were collected.