On Friday, July 28, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Metro Drug Coalition and WBIR Channel 10 will host “10 Takes Back,” a medication take back event. The event will take place at WBIR’s station, located at 1513 Bill Williams Ave. in North Knoxville. Participants can either pull up in their cars or walk up to drop off unused medication. Visitors can also collect more information about storing prescription drugs and pick up storage locks for medicine at the event.

Representatives from the Knoxville Police Department, the University of Tennessee pharmacy, CAC AmeriCorps and Metro Drug Coalition will be there to collect medications and deposit them into lock boxes. The boxes will then be taken to the Knoxville Police Department, where they will be properly disposed.

The event is designed to educate the c
ommunity about the importance of locking up and safely disposing of unused medication. Substance abuse or drug misuse can occur when prescription drugs are not stored or thrown away properly.

The following is a list of medications and related materials that are accepted into the medication collection program.

  • Prescriptions
  • Over the counter medications
  • Pet medications
  • Inhalers
  • Pills in any packaging (glass bottles, plastic containers, blister packs)
  • Illegal drugs and narcotics
  • Sharps/needles
  • Thermometers

This year, there have been 185 suspected overdoses in Knox County so far. As overdose deaths continue to rise across Tennessee, it is important for people to take steps to prevent substance abuse in their area. This take back event is part of WBIR’s ongoing coverage of the overdose crisis during the month of July. To see more stories related to substance abuse, visit http://on.wbir.com/2uDyagH.

For more information on properly disposing medication and to locate a drop box in your area, visit http://countitlockitdropit.org.