Low turnout for Boone County’s drug take back day

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Nationwide, the Drug Enforcement Agency hosted National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday.

The event encourages Americans to return unneeded medication as a preventive measure against medication misuse and opioid addiction, according to the DEA website. The DEA collaborated with local and state law enforcement agencies.

In Boone County, there were five designated sites for medication return: Kilgore's Pharmacy in Ashland, MU Student Center, Rock Bridge High School, Hickman High School, and Harry S. Truman V.A. Hospital. However, a pharmacist at Harry S. Truman V.A. Hospital said that their take-back event occurred on Friday instead of Saturday.

In the Kansas City area, there were more than 21 drive-through sites where people could drop off their medication, while in the St. Louis area, there were 13 sites available.

Next drive will be in October.

ABC 17 visited various local spots and was told by law enforcement there was a significant difference from last year, with police noting a slow day. Two officers mentioned that last year, they had several bins filled within an hour, whereas this year, they struggled to fill two bins.

One officer attributed the low turnout to the drive held last October, which collected 300 tons of medication from over 4,500 sites nationwide, according to the DEA's report.

According to the April report by DEA 2023, there were 153 collection sites in Missouri, with 244 law enforcement agencies participating in the state.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2023, over 110,000 deaths were reported due to drug poisoning and drug-related incidents.

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