Talbot Goes Purple will collect medications for National Take Back Day

Disposal sites set for Easton, St. Michaels fire departments

OXFORD – Talbot Goes Purple this week announced prescription medication collection from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. October 23, 2021 in Easton and St. Michaels, as part of National Drug Take-Back Day.

National Drug Take-Back Day is an annual collection event sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The DEA also sponsors a collection event each April; that event saw 420 tons of medications collected across more than 5,060 sites, including three in Talbot County.

For this month’s event, Talbot County Sheriff’s deputies will collect unused prescription medications at the Easton Volunteer Fire Department, at 315 Aurora Park Drive in Easton; and at the St. Michaels Volunteer Fire Department at 1001 South Talbot St. in St. Michaels.

Unused or expired prescription medications pose a serious public safety issue – proper disposal helps prevent misuse and abuse and helps save lives.

“Overdoses have become the leading cause of accidental deaths in people younger than 50,” said Talbot County Sheriff Joe Gamble. “Many people who start using prescription painkillers recreationally get them from a family member or friend’s medicine cabinet, so proper disposal really makes a difference. Please take advantage of this take back day to keep your family and friends safe!”

Collection includes unwanted medications, vitamins and supplements — vape pens, inhalers, sharps and needles are NOT accepted. This program is anonymous – no questions asked, no identification required. The sites also will include free educational materials along with free disposal and storage solutions, like Deterra bags. Deterra bags allow for medication disposal right at home, without endangering the environment.

Due to the pandemic, masks are required at all collection sites. If you have any symptoms or feel sick, please stay home. You may contact the health department for at-home storage and disposal solutions.

In addition to this year’s take-back day initiative, a permanent, year-round, 24-hour a day, 7-days a week disposal box is located at the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office at 28712 Glebe Road, at the south end of the Talbot County Business Center. Other disposal locations in the county include the Maryland State Police Barrack at 7503 Ocean Gateway in Easton (24 hour). The drop box at Oxford Police Department at 101 Market St. in Oxford is open by appointment only. The drop box at St. Michaels Police Department is currently closed due to the pandemic.

For more information on National Take-Back Day visit www.takebackday.dea.gov.

An initiative from the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office and Tidewater Rotary, in partnership with Talbot County Public Schools, Saints Peter & Paul School and the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, Talbot Goes Purple empowers our youth and our community to ‘Go Purple’ as a sign of taking a stand against substance abuse.

More information about Talbot Goes Purple is available at www.talbotgoespurple.org. Find us on Facebook @TalbotGoesPurple or contact us at talbotgoespurple@gmail.com.

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Talbot Goes Purple is a component fund of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization – donations to which are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.