Being on a college campus makes it easy for students to share prescription drugs. But they don't know the consequences of taking Adderall to help them pass a test and then drinking alcohol to celebrate when they pass, said Tricia Henderson, assistant director at UTC's Counseling and Personal Development Center.

To get discarded or unneeded drugs off campus, Henderson wants students to participate in the campus' first drug take-back day. The two-day event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

Students and the UTC community are encouraged to drop off all outdated and unneeded drugs at Heritage Plaza in front of Lupton Library.

The drugs collected at UTC will be gathered with other drugs collected on the citywide drug take-back day on April 27.

This comes during a time when students are moving, getting ready to leave campus and they may have prescription medications or over-the-counter medications they want to get rid of.

Instead of flushing or throwing them in a landfill, this is an opportunity to get rid of them in the proper way, said Henderson.

This is the first year the campus has joined the effort hosted by East Chattanooga Improvement Inc. in partnership Tennessee American Water and Blood Assurance.

Items not accepted in the drug take-back include needles, IV bags and radioactive medications.

East Chattanooga Improvement Inc. representatives said no questions will be asked about drugs delivered.

Nationwide, the drug take-back day program collected 280 tons of drugs in October 2012, said Janice Burke of the local Drug Enforcement Administration office.

"So we are making an impact," she said. "The president has already signed off for us to continue this. He said as long as we continue to get the numbers we're getting, they're going to keep funding it."

Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.