Emporia will not have a drug takeback effort this weekend.
The fall rendition was originally planned for Saturday at Flint Hills Community Health Center, but Emporia Police Sgt. Lisa Sage says the Drug Enforcement Administration will not make a local stop to pick up and later incinerate collected drugs as it has in the past.
Both Emporia Police and the Health Center are encouraging people wanting to drop off unwanted or unused prescriptions to do so at CVS Pharmacy, 1215 Merchant, because it is Emporia’s only Public Controlled Substance Disposal location as registered through the DEA. People wanting to drop off drugs can do so at CVS through normal business hours. CVS will not accept sharps or any vaping-related items.
The DEA says it is acceptable to remove medicines from their original containers and mix them with “undesirable” substances like coffee grounds or kitty litter before placing the mix in a sealable bag and throwing it out. Local officials have stressed it is not a good idea to dump medications down the sink or toilet because of the impact on groundwater downstream.
