The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – It is time to get your old and unused prescription drugs ready to turn in for proper disposal.

The Annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day occurs twice a year and Saturday, April 27th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. is the first opportunity of the year. Sheriff Matt Lutz said the DEA reached out to local law enforcement across the state to collect the prescriptions and they will take the unwanted prescriptions and destroy them.

“We’re kind of unique in this County because we have two drop-off sites now,” Sheriff Lutz said. “With the Health Department is where our main drop-off point is and then Riesbeck’s Pick’ N Save joined in a few years back and started having a site down on the June Parkway site.”

Sheriff Lutz said Muskingum County is also unique because there are multiple partnerships to make this program happen. The Health Department Drop-Off location will be collecting prescription pills, as well as, liquids and sharps at the event on Saturday. The process is simple, all you have to do is bag the medication, pull up to the location and provide it to the officers collecting.

“Last year, in the Fall…” Sheriff Lutz said, “We did 182 pounds of prescription medications that we had dropped in. We saw 221 cars.”

Sheriff Lutz said the benefit of this program is to get prescription drugs off of the street and most people forget that they can become a target of theft if prescription pills are known to be unused and just sitting in the home.

Muskingum County Medication Drop Boxes:

Muskingum County Jail
28 N. 4th St.
Open 24/7

Northside Pharmacy
2899 Bell St.
Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon-Fri
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat

New Concord Police Department
2 West Main St.
Open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mon-Fri

Zanesville Police Department
332 South St.
Open 24/7