Sheriff’s Office collected 118 pounds of prescription medications and other drugs turned in by the public in a drug take-back day on Sept. 27 at the Chalmette Walgreens store

Sheriff James Pohlmann, Walgreens store manager Charles Mengel and several parish firefighters hold up boxes of prescription drugs turned in by the public at a drug take-back day held at Walgreens on Saturday, Sept. 27. Other Wa;greens emp;pyees, sheriff’s depties and firefighters surround them.

Jeanne and Gregory Keys of New Orleans turned in medications at the take-back day. Behind them is Capt. Pat Childress, a sheriff’s deputy assigned to a DEA task force who was present to collect the surrendered drugs.

Sharie Waguespack of Chalmette drops medications in a box at the take-back event.

Sharie Waguespack of Chalmette was at the Chalmette Walgreens store on Saturday, Sept. 27 and saw the Sheriff’s Office was holding a drug take-back event to collect expired prescription medications and other no longer needed drugs to keep them from falling into the wrong hands.

Waguespack went home and returned with a bag to surrender items she no longer needed.

“I know it’s a good cause,’’ she said of the take-back effort. “And I know you all say don’t throw them in the garbage because someone could find them or down a toilet because that could hurt wildlife or seafood’’ when the water is returned to nature.

Many residents of St. Bernard and some from New Orleans took the time to go to Walgreens to drop off no longer needed medications.

The Sheriff’s Office collected 118 pounds of drugs that will be burned.

“That’s 118 pounds of drugs – a lot of drugs – that won’t hit the streets of this parish and possibly lead to a young person getting hooked on prescription medications,’’ St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

This was the sixth year the Sheriff’s Office has held the highly successful program aimed at ridding unused or no longer needed drugs from medicine chests so no one finds them and uses or sells them.

The U.S. Drug Enforcememnt Administration held a national drug take-back day along with State Police on Sept, 27 and the Sheriff’s Office took part. St. Bernard authorities were holding the program before it went national.

Surrendering old drugs is important, the sheriff said, because studies show young people often abuse prescription drugs after stealing them from medicine chests at the homes of relatives or at parents of friends.

Some 110 Americans die each day from prescription drug overdoses, a disturbing number that must be brought down through such efforts as a Drug Take-Back Day.

Sheriff Pohlmann thanked Walgreens officials for hosting the event, saying the location at Paris Road at Judge Perez Drive provides an easily accessible spot for the public to turn in medications. The 4-hour event continued a successful partnership with the Walgreens store in Chalmette, which has hosted the take-back event three times with the Sheriff’s Office.

Several Walgrens officials took part, including Chalmette store manager Charles Mengel, Gerard Robinette, loss prevention manager for Walgreen’s New Orleans West District; and Bob Lips, loss prevention manager for a number of the company’s stores.

The St. Bernard Parish Fire Department also participated in the event, with two trucks and a number of firefighters at the scene.

Capt. Pat Childress, a sheriff’s deputy assigned to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration task force, and Cpl. Jessica Gernados of the Special Investigations Division were at Walgreens to collect the medications turned in by the public.

Warren Rivera, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans field division of the federal DEA, also visited the event.

St. Bernard residents are reminded they can call the sheriff’s 271-DOPE hot line (271-3673) any time to turn in prescription drugs between official drug take-back days, which are done in the Spring and Fall. A Narcotics Unit agent will call them back to make arrangements to receive them.

Also, call the DOPE hotline, which is anonymous, to report suspected illegal drug activity in St. Bernard Parish. All calls will be acted upon.