Vernon Police Department, the ROCKS Coalition, the Youth Services Bureau and Walgreens Pharmacy hosted a drug take-back drive on Saturday.
The goal is to rid homes of unused medications and opioid prescription drugs so that those items can be properly disposed. The service was free and required no questions.
The effort comes as the rates of young people abusing prescription drugs increases.
"It's really the safetest way to make sure that it's out of the home and out of access for anyone to abuse the medications," said Cassandra Schend, project director with Vernon Rocks Coalition. "We really discourage flushing them down the toilet or just putting them in the garbage, unfortunately that causes further damage."
Vernon ROCKS Coalition is one of the many organizations with a goal to cut down on drug and alcohol usage. During the past 20 years, the group has worked to prevent overdoses and substance abuse.
"We want to be able to provide a safe way for people to dispose prescription pills and other medications that might be in their home," said Schend. "We really want to promote a safe way to dispose of their pills."
If you missed out on today's drug-take back, you can head to Vernon's Police Department to drop off any items in the lobby.
