GRAVETTE -- Gravette Police Department once again participated in the National Drug Take Back event on Saturday, and the event was counted a huge success by Police Chief Andrew Bower.
At prior events, approximately 30 pounds of prescription, non-prescription, and "sharps" (syringes and lancets) were turned in for destruction each time, Bower said.
During the last six months, culminating in the Take-back day on Saturday, the Gravette community turned in 105.8 pounds of medications and "sharps" devices for destruction, Bower said.
This improvement is coupled with a parallel program to reduce the instances of drugged-driving, which have accounted for an almost 400 percent increase in arrests to date for this year for drugged-driving.
This was the last Drug Take-Back event that the Drug Enforcement Administration will sponsor. However, due to the overwhelming popularity of the event, the risk to the environment that improperly disposed drugs pose, and the propensity for these drugs to be abused, the Gravette Police Department will continue the program in conjunction with local business partners.
The police department will still accept medications in the drop box in front of the police department 24 hours a day, Bower said.
"Sharps" devices will be accepted at the front desk of the police department during business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday) as long as they are rendered safe or are in a secure container to prevent injury, he said.
General News on 10/01/2014