COLUMBUS, Ga. — Law enforcement agencies across the country are collecting trash bags full of prescription drugs. It’s all part of Drug Take Back Day. News 3 stopped by the CVS Pharmacy on Double Churches Road in Columbus to see how the local law enforcement sponsored the national initiative.
The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office says they estimate collecting between 150 to 300 lbs. of prescription drugs pills. Cpl. Jeremy Hattaway believes it’s best for people to hand over the drugs to law enforcement, rather than take care of old prescription pills themselves.
“If you put them, flush them down the commode, a lot of these medications are able to bypass the water filtration systems and end up back in our tap water and drinking water,” Cpl. Hattaway tells News 3. “It’s the same thing with the landfill. If you put them in the trash, they end up getting back in there and getting back into the groundwater.”
Cpl. Hattaway says leaving drugs around the house can lead to putting children, teens, and even pets at risk. The collected drugs will go to the state crime lab, where staff will incinerate the old medication.
