Staff writer
If you have wondered what to do with those expired or no longer needed prescription drugs in your medicine cabinet, the solution will be made easy for you right here in Marion County on April 26.
Sponsored by Marion County Substance Abuse Coalition and funded by a grant from the Drug Enforcement Administration, police in Hillsboro, Marion, and Peabody will stage a drug drop-off to take prescription drugs out of cupboards and cabinets across the county.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each of the three police stations will have a police officer on duty to collect expired prescriptions from community residents. People from rural areas and smaller communities may take their drugs to any of the three participating police departments.
“There is no need to remove the labels,” Peabody Police Chief Bruce Burke said. “Just bring the drugs in the original container, label and all. We want this to be as hassle-free as possible for the consumer.”
Many people do not want to dump drugs into the landfill or sanitary sewer system for environmental reasons. The drug drop-off will provide a way to get rid of the drugs that is appropriate for the content of the medication.
“The grant to Marion County Substance Abuse Coalition pays the wages of the extra officers on duty that day and pays for the DEA to pick up the drugs and dispose of them properly,” Burke said.
For more information, contact the police department nearest you.