Bedford County Sheriff’s Office and funeral homes team up to distribute drug disposal bags

The bags are a convenient, safe and free way to get rid of unwanted prescription medications

BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – Opioid abuse is seen everywhere, even in Bedford County.

“We did have one fatal overdose last year. We had 16 overdoses in 2021. So in law enforcement what you try to do is you try to figure out how can I bring an other tool to the tool belt,” said Mike Miller, Bedford County sheriff.

The Sheriff’s Office found that tool — a drug disposal bag that’s safe, convenient and can be done anywhere. Sheriff Miller got local funeral homes on board to sponsor the program.

“Basically to help with quality control for the prescriptions or medications that maybe a loved one has left behind or is no longer in use,” said Jared Tucker, the funeral director/manager at the Bedford location of Tharp Funeral Homes & Crematory, Inc.

The bags allow people to avoid driving to a law enforcement agency to dispose of the medication. It also prevents them from flushing drugs down the toilet.

“When you flush it down the toilet, it does go out into the environment and that’s where we don’t want it to be,” said Miller.

The funeral homes hope that providing these disposable bags will alleviate the burden of loved ones trying to properly get rid of prescriptions after losing someone.

“I think you’ll see the response, just the sense of ease for the families just that they don’t have to worry about it anymore,” added Tucker.

It’s another way for the Sheriff’s Office and the community to combat the opioid crisis together.

This Saturday is Drug Take Back Day in Virginia, and there are locations across the region where you can drop off your unwanted prescription drugs.


About the Author:

Alyssa Rae grew up in Roanoke and graduated from Virginia Tech. An avid sports fan, she spent her first 8 years in TV as a sports anchor and reporter.