Lewis County drug take-back events planned for Centralia and Morton
Centralia Prevention Coalition member Jasmine Trent, left, and Sara Bumgardner of Lewis County Public Health and Social Services
CHEHALIS - Lewis County Public Health and Social Services, Centralia Prevention Coalition and MortonUP! are partnering with local law enforcement to host prescription drug take-back events Saturday, Apr. 22 in Centralia and Morton.
These events are for citizens to dispose of unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medication for free between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the following locations:
- Centralia Middle School Gym, 901 Johnson Rd.
• Morton Police Department, 250 Main Ave.
Local service organizations will also be on-site providing resources, such as free medication lock boxes.
“It’s a way to keep prescription drugs from being misused,” said Sara Bumgardner of Lewis County Public Health and Social Services. “Seventy-five percent of opioid misuse starts when an individual uses a drug which was not prescribed to them – usually taken from friends or family.”
Bumgardner noted that in the past three years, the Centralia event has collected 273 pounds of medications and in Morton an additional 164 pounds have been disposed of.
“Adequately disposing of unused prescriptions prevents the accidental use by children,” said Jasmine Trent of the Centralia Prevention Coalition.
The Centralia Prevention Coalition and MortonUP! are volunteer groups dedicated to preventing and reducing youth substance use and misuse with funding from the Washington State Health Care Authority.