Takeback event gets drugs off streets
CRANBERRY TWP — Saturday marked a Drug Enforcement Administration National Takeback Day, the 20th DEA event staged over the last 10 years.
Working with the DEA, the Cranberry Township Police Department joined the effort Saturday in getting unused drugs and over-the-counter medications off the streets.
The outdoor collection offered dozens of people from across the region an opportunity to dispose of drugs in a safe, controlled way.
“(It's) to stop the spread of opioids,” said Lt. Chuck Mascellino of support services for Cranberry Township Police Department.
Holding regular takeback events not only allows law enforcement to keep medications from getting into the wrong hands, but Mascellino said it also helps to cut down on the number of people who dump unused medicine down the drain — eventually running into waterways.
Cranberry Township couple Jan and Bill Hohn said they appreciated having a safe way to dispose of old medicine.
“I went through everything,” Jan said. “I kept them all these years, not wanting to put them in the trash.”
“This is great,” Bill said.Those who stopped by the takeback event were asked to drop their items into boxes, no questions asked.Lt. William Ahlgren, community relations officer for township police, explained the goal was to offer assistance with safe disposal, not scare people away.Pat Whigham of Seven Fields said she valued the assistance.Not knowing what's harmful to the environment or could cause lasting damage if disposed of improperly means unused materials build up over months, especially during a pandemic.“It's great to just help clean up all that stuff that's expired,” Whigham said. “It's gives (us) an opportunity to purge.”The DEA will weigh the materials collected Saturday and provide the police department with a final total before disposing of the items properly.Mascellino explained the township has a history of good turnouts for collections.“We generally have the most boxes and the most weight of anybody around,” Mascellino said.Information about safely disposing of drugs and over-the-counter medications is available on the Cranberry Township public safety website at https://www.cranberrytownship.org/2696/Safely-Dispose-of-Drugs.More information about the DEA and takeback events is available at https://takebackday.dea.gov/.
