Murfreesboro resident Thong Bacon delivered about 5 pounds of unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medications her family and friends needed to dispose of during the Tuesday, April 24, MTSU Drug Take-Back Day on campus near the Campus Pharmacy drive-thru.

A professional hair stylist, Bacon said her contribution included “cleaning out two to three people’s houses” in a combination of family and friends.

Expired, unused and unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medicines were accepted. MTSU officials collected 106.8 pounds during the day from Murfreesboro residents and the campus community.

Fourth-year Lipscomb University pharmacy student Wisdom Onyegbule keeps an accurate count of oxycodone-acetaminophen and other prescription medications turned in April 24 during the MTSU Drug Take-Back Day near the Campus Pharmacy drive-thru outside the Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)

Sponsored by the Campus Pharmacy and the University Police Department, the take-back event is part of a national collection drive led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s efforts to remove excess drugs from communities where they could be abused or misused, diverted into the wrong hands or discarded in environmentally unsafe ways.

“It’s a great program,” said Bacon, whose husband, Mike, is a manager with MTSU’s Tennessee Small Business Development Center on Medical Center Parkway in Murfreesboro. “I’m glad they’re doing this. I had been wondering where to drop things off.”

Thong Bacon said she feels too many prescription drugs are overprescribed and go to waste.

MTSU pharmacist Tabby Ragland said the day’s first hour went well, considering the cool, overcast weather.

Although the collection did not begin until 7:30 a.m., at least four people dropped their items off as organizers were setting up, said Lisa Schrader, director of MTSU’s Health Promotion office.

Schrader said organizers anticipated more drop-offs from the Murfreesboro community because the city’s police department has been preparing to move from its South Church Street location to its new headquarters on North Highland Avenue.

MTSU alumna Kaysi Paul, a grants manager and administrative assistant with Prevention Coalition for Success, assisted with the take-back day, along with Wisdom Onyegbule, a fourth-year pharmacy student at Lipscomb University.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)

MTSU pharmacist Tabby Ragland, left, holds a bag full of unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medications brought by Thong Bacon of Murfreesboro April 24 during the spring MTSU Drug Take-Back Day. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)