The City of Longview Partners in Prevention, Coalition for Drug-Free Youth has partnered with the Longview Police Department to implement a prescription drug take-back day this month. Since March of 2015, over 3,500 pounds of prescription drugs have been collected through the Prescription Drug Drop-Box at the Longview Police Department. As part of an initiative to continue to reduce accessibility to opioids, establish a cleaner environment, and prevent criminal activity, the Coalition for Drug-Free Youth and the Longview Police Department will collect prescription medication from citizens to properly dispose. The Take-Back will take place on Tuesday, March 19th from 12pm-3pm at the Longview Police Department, 302 W. Cotton Street.
Gregg County is part of the Health and Human Services Region 4. According to the Regional Needs Assessment conducted by the East Texas Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Regions 4&5 have the highest reported rate of non-medical current use, school year use, and lifetime use for grades 7-12th of prescription drugs in the state of Texas. In an effort to decrease these statistics to zero, the Coalition for Drug-Free Youth and the Longview Police Department encourages citizens to “spring clean” their medicine cabinets for any unused, expired, or unwanted prescription drugs and bring them to the Longview Police Department. The Coalition will be disseminating prescription drug misuse prevention resources, along with alternative disposal options in the community.