The Benton Police Department (BNPD) will host their 15th event to take in unused and unneeded prescription drugs on Saturday, October 28th.
The opioid problem has grown across America, but the BNPD says it can be reversed by community conversations and participation in drug take back events. This event – part of Arkansas Drug Take Back Day – will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28 at Ferguson’s Furniture, located at 1200 Ferguson Drive in Benton. The public is encouraged to drop off expired or unused medications at the event. No identification is required and no questions will be asked regarding the prescriptions.
DID YOU KNOW… Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane will be at this event. In Benton, the event is named Operation Medicine Cabinet, because Lane was the first to implement the program when he was Benton Police Chief. It later became a state event, and then a national event.
At the same day and time, the Saline County Sheriff’s Office will be gathering prescriptions at Harvest Foods in East End and Harvest Foods in Salem.
Don’t flush or trash your prescriptions. Medicines are a special type of hazardous chemical which are not safe in solid waste systems and landfills. Drugs can be very toxic for people and wildlife, even in low doses. Just as we do not put used motor oil or leftover paint thinner in the trash, we should not put these extremely potent pharmaceutical chemicals into unsecured curbside trash cans.
These medicines will not go back in the system. They will be handled by law enforcement officers and disposed in an environmentally safe manner. The protection of the environment is another reason to participate in Operation Medicine Cabinet.
The BNPD encourages parents to talk to children about the dangers of drug usage. Education is the key to helping us make a difference in our community.
If you miss the event, medications can always be dropped into a 24/7 drop box at the front of the Benton Police Department, at 114 S. East St. The prescription medications will later be counted for statistical purposes and destroyed in an environmentally safe manner.
For more information and for a list of locations across the state where medicines can be dropped off, visit www.artakeback.org.