KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville Police Department said they collected hundreds of pounds worth of unwanted and unneeded medication on Saturday, during a drug take-back event.
They said they collected a total of 687 pounds at a Kroger off Asheville Highway. There, the medical collection task force set up tents where people could stop by and safely dispose of any medication they didn't want to have around anymore.
Officials said they hoped this would prevent that medication from being abused in the future, helping stop cycles of substance abuse and opioid dependence.
"What we want to do is a several-part thing," said Sgt. Bryan Davis from KPD. "We want to get medications out of the hands of people that don't need it anymore. We want to prevent folks from maybe becoming addicted or accidentally overdosing on medication, and we want to also find an environmentally friendly way for people to dispose of the medication. We don't want it in the water supply."
They also said that it was the most they have collected at a take-back event since 2018. Anyone who could not attend Saturday's event can still drop prescriptions off at the Knoxville Police Department to safely dispose of them, or at most pharmacies.