Sheriff's Office Drug Drop Box To Help Public Properly Dispose of Medications

The Bartow County Sheriff's Office in Cartersville has received an Rx Drug Drop Box from the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators through a grant from Endo Pharmaceuticals and the National Rx Drug Drop Box program, Sheriff Clark Millsap announced in a release.

Most prescription medications should not be flushed down the toilet or thrown into the trash, so the NADDI Rx Drug Drop Box program addresses a vital public health and safety issue. Medicines that languish in home medicine cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and/or abuse.

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high. Studies show that individuals who abuse prescription drugs often obtain them from family members and friends, including from home medicine cabinets.

Through this grant from Endo Pharmaceuticals, the NADDI Rx Drug Drop Box program will increase the ability for patients to easily and properly dispose of unneeded, expired or unwanted medicines. There is a great need for a permanent solution in which these medicines can be properly disposed of quickly and anonymously.

The secure drop box is in the sheriff's office administration lobby, where patients can walk in and deposit their unwanted, expired medicines during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

These unwanted drugs will then be destroyed in the proper manner.

Millsap said he encourages everyone in the community who has any unwanted, unneeded and expired pharmaceuticals to participate in this program.

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