4,381.6 Pounds of Drugs Collected During Lorain County Drug Take Back Day

November 5, 2021 by Nancy Events 0 comments

The Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County partnered with local law enforcement and various community organizations to collect 4,381.6 pounds of drugs, including opioids, at National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on October 23. The Fall 2021 total surpasses the 3,883.7 pounds collected at the last Lorain County Drug Take Back event in April 2021.

“Lorain County continues to see the adverse effects of improper opioid use that lead to addiction,” said Michael Doud, MHARS Board Executive Director. “We can all do our part to curb substance use disorder by safely disposing of prescription drugs that could potentially be abused. I thank the many residents, volunteers and public safety personnel who made this event a success.”

Here is a breakdown of how much was collected throughout Lorain County by location:

Locations	Pounds Collected
Amherst Police Department	502
Avon Police Department	500
Avon Lake Police Department	225.6
Columbia Fire Department	76.4
Elyria Police Department	206
Grafton Police Department	177.8
Kipton Police Department	42.6
LaGrange Police Department	138.4
Lorain Police Department	276
Lorain County Sheriff	1150
North Ridgeville Police Department	361.8
Oberlin Police Department	425.4
Sheffield Lake Police Department	55.8
Sheffield Village Police Department	74.2
Vermilion Police Department	27
Wellington Police Department	142.6
TOTAL:	4,381.6

Residents who were unable to drop off on Drug Take Back Day may still bring their unused prescriptions for safe disposal to local police departments. All Lorain County police departments have receptacles for drop-off in their lobbies.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives in 2019. The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is led nationally by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

For more information about addiction, treatment and recovery, visit www.mharslc.org/recovery.