NORTHAMPTON – Police departments across the Pioneer Valley collected 1,773 pounds of unwanted drugs during National Drug Take Back Day on Saturday.
In all, 1,420 pounds were collected from Hampshire County and 353 pounds from Franklin County and Athol in Worcester County. People dropped off drugs at 19 different locations that included police departments, schools and town commons.
“That’s another 1,773 pounds we’ve gotten out of circulation,” Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan said in a statement. “This is one of the most important initiatives we participate in to help combat drug addiction.”
According to the district attorney’s office, most people who misuse prescription drugs get them from friends and family, sometimes without their knowledge. About 80 percent of those who use heroin misused prescription drugs first. The Drug Take Back Days aim to fight the opioid crisis by taking unwanted drugs from homes where children or others can misuse them.
During the October 2018 Take Back Day, 1,759 pounds of drugs were collected in Hampshire and Franklin Counties and Athol. These past two Drug Take Back Day totals are average for the amount of drugs collected in the Pioneer Valley, according to the district attorney’s office. In April 2018, 1,232 pounds were collected during the event.
Since 2011, over 50,000 pounds have been collected in the Northwestern District during Take Back Days and from permanent collection boxes, according to figures provided by the DA’s office.
The event was started in September 2010 by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, has collected over 10,000,000 pounds of unwanted medications. Last October, 914,236 pounds were collected nationally, with 26,256 pounds coming from Massachusetts, according to the federal agency.
People dropping off drugs during the event are not asked what type of drugs they are disposing of though people have told stories of returning late loved one’s pain medications, veterinary drugs and over-the-counter medications among others, according to the DA’s office.
The cities and towns participating in the event on Saturday were Amherst, Belchertown, Cummington, Easthampton, Goshen, Hadley, Northampton, Pelham, Southampton, South Hadley, Williamsburg and Worthington in Hampshire County; and Bernardston, Deerfield, Greenfield, Leverett, Montague and Sunderland in Franklin County as well as Athol in Worcester County.