GPD conducting Drug Take Back Day Saturday at GHS

Drug Take Back Day is scheduled for Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the main parking lot at Greencastle High School, 910 E. Washington St.

The Greencastle Police Department (GPD) is again teaming up with the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) to take unwanted, expired or unused medications out of peoples' homes and medicine cabinets.

GPD has been participating in the Drug Take Back event since it started in 2011. This will be the 10th event that GPD and the Greencastle School Corporation have teamed up to take drugs off local streets and out of local homes.

To this date 2,686.5 pounds of medication has been collected and removed from the community through the effort, GPD Chief Tom Sutherlin said, expecting the program to exceed 3,000 pounds with this year's event.

No questions arasked, Chief Sutherlin said.

"People just drive through our location and drop off their medications," he said. "People do not need to be concerned about labels being left on their medicine bottles because everything gets destroyed by fire at the Buzzi Unicem USA Plant here in Putnam County."

Both over-the-counter medications and prescription medication -- pills, liquids or powders -- are accepted at the event.

"We don't accept sharps (needles) with this program," Sutherlin reminded.

GPD does not have a way to destroy sharps and Buzzi Unicem prefers not to put them in its incinerator, Sutherlin explained.