Barton County residents who wanted to get rid of expired, unused or unwanted drugs had the opportunity to safely discard them on Saturday, October 28, 2023, during National Drug Take-Back Day.
More than 200 pounds of prescription medication were delivered to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Wichita on Monday, Oct. 30, Sheriff Brian Bellendir reported. Saturday’s event was conducted by the Barton County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Barton County Health Department.
Barton County has been participating in this program for the last seven years and has collected 3,383 pounds of medication for disposal. That’s more than a ton and a half of drugs.
Drug Take-Back Day is organized by the DEA in partnership with local law enforcement agencies to underscore the importance of taking commonly abused drugs out of circulation.
Sheriff Bellendir echoed the DEA statement: “The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety and national security threat. National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day reflects our commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from starting.”
Local partners included the Barton County Health Department and Juvenile Service’s Youth Crew. Deputies Angel Enriquez, Craig Merritt and Dodger Beckham joined Karen Winkleman, Public Health Director, and Katelyn Sigler, Health Educator. Marissa Woodmansee, Juvenile Services Director, worked alongside Addy, Jasmine, Valeria, and Yaneli, Youth Crew volunteers, to tally the number of cars, handing out informational bags and tracking over 200 pounds of drugs collected at the event.
On behalf of the BCSO, Sheriff Bellendir thanked the Barton County Health Department for their assistance, as well as the “Youth Crew” from the Juvenile Justice Authority, who handed out information and helped keep the weight tally.
The next drug collection will be in spring of 2024.
