WHEELING — U.S. Attorney Bill Powell is encouraging residents across the Northern District of West Virginia to safely dispose of unused and unwanted medications and vaping products at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Drug Take Back Day this weekend, according to a press release from Powell’s Office.

Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The event, in its ninth year, offers a safe way to rid homes of unwanted and unused medications, preventing them from falling into the wrong hands.

Starting with this October’s campaign, collection sites will now accept vaping devices and cartridges – in addition to tablets, capsules, patches, and other medications in solid forms – at any of its drop off locations.

So, where can Upshur County and north-central West Virginia residents drop off such items? A list of official drop-off locations is accessible here, and among the closest are the Weston Detachment of the West Virginia State Police (86 Glady Fork Road in Weston), the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office (110 Center Ave. in Weston) and the Weston Police Department (102 W. 2nd St. in Weston).

And although the Buckhannon Police Department isn’t listed as an official drop-off location for Saturday’s Take Back Day, the BPD accepts unwanted prescription medications, etc. during regular office hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Local resident and member of the Upshur County Tobacco Prevention Coalition Tim Higgins said he hopes Upshur County residents realize they can turn in vaping products this year, too. Higgins cited the Centers for Disease Control’s warning that e-cigarette use, commonly known as vaping, is associated with a recent outbreak of lung injury.

The DEA is doing all it can to help dispose safely of vaping devices and liquids to get these products off our streets and out of the hands of children, according to Powell.

In April the DEA’s Drug Take Back Day collected nearly 940,000 pounds – or 469 tons – of prescription drugs — more than twice the weight of the Statue of Liberty.

In 2018, nearly 1,000 West Virginians died because of a drug overdose, with 82 percent of those deaths involving an opioid.

The find the nearest collection site, go to www.deatakeback.com.