Fairfax County to collect unused medications amid high drug overdose concerns

With fentanyl deaths reaching unprecedented levels nationally, Fairfax County is participating once again in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Drug Take Back Day.

Led by the Fairfax County Police Department with other county agencies, the event will have drop-off sites set up across the county this Saturday (April 30) where people can dispose of their old and unused medications for free to prevent misuse.

The event will span from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at over half a dozen police stations as well as Reston Hospital (1850 Town Center Parkway):

• Fair Oaks (12300 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway)
• Franconia (6121 Franconia Road)
• Mason (6507 Columbia Pike)
• McLean (1437 Balls Hill Road)
• Mount Vernon (2511 Parkers Lane)
• Sully (4900 Stonecroft Blvd.)
• West Springfield (6140 Rolling Road)

In Fairfax County, overdoses tend to adversely affect teens and young adults more than any other age group. County and school officials reported in March that there had been a concerning number of overdoses involving teens aged 15 to 17 in the Richmond Highway corridor.

Drug overdoses kill more people in Virginia than vehicle crashes and guns combined, a trend from 2020 that appears to have worsened in 2021. The same is true nationwide, though firearms were the leading cause of death for kids and teens in 2020.

In Virginia, like the rest of the country, opioid deaths have skyrocketed; fatal drug overdoses increased from 1,298 deaths in 2019 to 1,915 deaths in 2020. The state projected an estimated 2,160 fatalities in 2021.

Photo via Drug Enforcement Administration