The Hamilton County Coalition received over 1,500 pounds of unwanted pharmaceuticals for National Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 26, according to a news release.
Sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, National Drug Take-Back Day is an event that encourages residents to safely dispose of their unused or expired medications to prevent drug addiction and overdose. Fourteen take-back locations were operating in Hamilton County on Saturday, along with four other sites in Sequatchie, Marion and Bradley County.
Including the first drug take-back event in April, a total of 2,877 pounds of unwanted medications were collected in 2019, compared to 3,726 pounds in 2018.
“The more we see cases of opioid dependency happening locally, the more importance we put on events like drug take-backs,” Hamilton County Coalition Executive Director Camilla Bibbs-Lee said. “We’re mainly wanting to decrease the chance of prescription medications ending up in the wrong hands.”
If you missed either take-back event, the Hamilton County Coalition offers drop box locations for any resident to dispose of their unused medications. Each location is listed below. An interactive map of drop box locations can be found at countitlockitdropit.org/drop-box-finder.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation – 6040 Century Oak Drive
East Sector Hamilton County Sherriff’s Department – 8395 Hickory Valley Road
Walgreen’s – 2289 Gunbarrel Road
CVS – 5120 TN-153/ 5428 Hwy. 153/ 1200 Dodson Ave.
Chattanooga Police Department – 3410 Amnicola Hwy.
Red Bank Police Department – 3117 Dayton Blvd.
East Ridge Police Department – 4214 Ringgold Road
West Sector Hamilton County Sherriff’s Department – 6233 Dayton Blvd.
Signal Mountain Police Department – 1111 Ridgeway Ave.