Novant Health holds drug take back drive thru events

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — October 28th was National Drug Take Back Day and Novant Health held two drive-thru events to give residents the opportunity to safely get rid of their expired prescription drugs.

According to a 2020 national survey on drug use, more than 9 million people over the age of 12 reported misusing a prescription pain reliever in the prior year.

As part of the event, residents could drop off any expired prescription drugs they had, from pills and syringes to even electronic cigarettes and vaping devices.

Pharmacy resident Mackenzie Wagner spoke about why it’s important to get rid of your expired or unneeded prescriptions.

“Over time, its really common for households to start to accumulate prescription medications and if they’re expired, they’re not necessarily as effective as they could be,” Wagner said. “And so, its important to make sure that they don’t fall into the wrong hands, things like kids or pets could get a hold of them and we want to prevent any of that from happening.”

According to Novant Health, a total of 16 boxes of medication and 2 and a half bins of syringes and other hazardous items were collected between the two drive-thru’s.