National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is April 30
LORAIN, OHIO – The Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County and its partners announce that National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will take place on April 30, 2022. In October 2021, Lorain County Drug Take Back events resulted in the collection of 4,381 pounds of prescription drugs.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., volunteers will provide free locking medication safes and other drug safety resources across the county at the locations noted below with an asterisk. At the locations listed without an asterisk, visitors can drop off their medications with law enforcement officers or other personnel for disposal. All are encouraged to clean out their medicine cabinets of potentially harmful drugs by safely disposing of them at this free, confidential annual event.
Locations in Lorain County include:
| *Amherst Police Department | 911 North Lake St. 44001 |
| *Avon Lake Police Department | 32855 Walker Rd. 44012 |
| Avon Police Department | 36145 Detroit Rd. 44011 |
| Columbia Township Fire Department | 25540 Royalton Rd. 44028 |
| *Elyria Police Department | 18 West Ave. 44035 |
| *Grafton Police Department | 1009 Chestnut St. 44044 |
| *Kipton Police Department | 299 State St. 44049 |
| LaGrange Police Department | 301 Liberty St. 44050 |
| *Lorain County Sheriff’s Office | 9896 Murray Ridge Rd. 44035 |
| * Lorain Police Department | 200 West Erie Ave. 44052 |
| *North Ridgeville Department | 7303 Avon-Belden Rd. 44039 |
| Oberlin Police Department | 85 South Main St. 44074 |
| *Sheffield Lake Police Department | 609 Harris Rd. 44054 |
| Sheffield Village Police Department | 4340 Colorado Ave. 44054 |
| *Vermilion Police Department | 5791 Liberty Ave. 44089 |
| *Wellington Police Department | 117 Willard Memorial Square 44090 |
*Locations with volunteers
“Lorain County continues to see the detrimental effects of the opioid crisis,” said Michael Doud, Executive Director of the MHARS Board of Lorain County. “Drug Take Back Day is an opportunity for us all to do our part to ensure that drugs that have potential for misuse do not end up in the hands of those struggling with substance use disorder.”
The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.5 million people misused opioids in the year prior. More than 9.3 million people misused prescription pain relievers. In 2020, 40.3 million people aged 12 or older (or 14.5%) had a substance use disorder in the previous year. In Quarter 4 of 2020, 10.9 million users of drugs other than alcohol perceived that they were using these substances “a little more or much more” than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to the survey data. The effort is led nationally by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
For more information visit www.mharslc.org/recovery.
About the MHARS Board
The Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County brings together the expertise, resources and proud histories of the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board of Lorain County and the Lorain County Board of Mental Health. The people served by mental health and substance use disorder systems have a common goal – recovery. Consolidating the county’s addiction and mental health partners strengthens our ability to coordinate treatment and recovery services, which helps us improve the lives of our clients, their loved ones and the community. Our goal is to maximize delivery of these health services. It means providing the right care, in the right setting, at the right time. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram or connect with us on our website at www.mharslc.org.
