Wheaton, Illinois— Sleet, hail, and wind did not diminish the success of a prescription and over-the-counter drug drop-off event hosted by State Senator Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett), State Representative Amy Grant (R-Wheaton), and the Wheaton Police Department on April 22.
“The response to this event exceeded our expectations, and we had a steady stream of cars, and even one bike, with people dropping off expired or unused medications,” said Lewis. “Residents were extremely grateful to have a convenient location to dispose of drugs they had in their medicine cabinets that had built up over the years.”
The Wheaton event on Saturday was part of a nation-wide Drug Take-Back Day sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and one of hundreds of events in Illinois.
“Despite the challenging weather conditions, our Prescription Drug Takeback Event was an overwhelming success. I want to give a special shout out to Officer Kelly, and other Community Service Officers who played a role in this collection,” said Grant. “Events like these are important for not only keeping our water supply clean, but also to prevent addictive opioid based medications from being abused.”
According to Wheaton Police Sergeant Daniel Salzmann, 269 pounds of medication were collected at the four-hour event outside of the Wheaton Police Station. The drugs will be incinerated in an environmentally safe manner.
The DEA holds drug take-back events across the nation in the spring and fall of each year.
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