MTSU collects record 116 pounds of meds in drug take-back event

The MTSU campus community and public turned in a record 116.2 pounds of medications during the fifth MTSU Drug Take-Back Day Thursday (Sept. 24).

Collections by Campus Pharmacy and University Police included 54.4 pounds of unwanted prescriptions, 10.6 pounds of controlled medications and 51.2 pounds of over-the-counter medicines.

Grace James, left in automobile, an analyst in the MTSU College of Graduate Studies, hands Campus Pharmacy’s Tabby Ragland a bag of unwanted medications as Campus Police Lt. Broede Stucky watches. The pharmacy-police partnership collected a record 116-plus pounds of medications Sept. 24 during the fifth MTSU Drug Take-Back Day. (MTSU photos by Randy Weiler)

“This is more than we have ever collected at any of the other drug take-back events,” said pharmacist Tabby Ragland.

Event organizers began collecting the unused and expired medications for safe disposal before 7:30 a.m. and stopped at 2 p.m. near the Campus Pharmacy drive-thru.

No needles were accepted at this event.

During the past three years and before this drug take-back event, more than 100 pounds of medicine have been collected. Altogether, nearly 400 tons of medicines have been disposed of nationally since take-back collections were initiated in 2010.

This event was part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s efforts to remove excess drugs from communities where they could be abused or misused, diverted into the wrong hands or disposed of in environmentally unsafe ways.

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

MTSU pharmacist Tabby Ragland tosses a liquid medication into a marked container Sept. 24 during the fifth MTSU Drug Take-Back Day outside the Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center. MTSU officials collected unused and unwanted medicines from the campus community and general public.