Drug Take-Back Event - October 2022

Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.   Date:  Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022 Location:  Drive-Through Building at Mercy Health – Paducah Medical Pavilion 
 
 
This Saturday, the Paducah Police Department will partner with Mercy Health – Lourdes Hospital and the Purchase District Health Department to give the public the opportunity to prevent pill misuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. 
 
Bring your pills and patches for disposal to the drive-through building in the front parking lot of Mercy Health – Paducah Medical Pavilion, 225 Medical Center Drive (just off Lone Oak Road), between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022.   
 
We cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps; only pills and patches.  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. 
 
In the years since the national Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) drug take-back program began, law enforcement agencies across the nation have collected thousands of tons of unwanted prescription medications.  Medicines that remain in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion and misuse.  Rates of prescription drug misuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. 
 
“This is a perfect opportunity for residents to get rid of their unwanted medications,” said Chief Brian Laird.  “Many families have left-over prescription drugs, or a loved one has died and the family is left with their medications to dispose of.  The drug take-back day gives them a chance to do so in a safe manner.”