The Boone County Sheriff’s Department collected almost 650 pounds of prescription drugs from drop-off locations around Boone County in a drug pick-up event this past weekend … and the sheriff’s department reports there is an increase in people dropping off prescriptions for environmental reasons.
The sheriff’s department collects drugs three to four times a year to prevent the abuse of prescription medicine, but the pick-up events increasingly are utilized by environmentalists. Detective Tom O’Sullivan of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department says people are becoming more aware of the environmental impact their prescription drugs have on drinking water systems.“In the old days you would throw your old or unused medicine in the trash or flush it down the toilet,” he said. “Well, that has negative environmental implications so people are more conscious of that and they bring it to the take-back.”
O’Sullivan says the department took back a range of drugs, including pain medicine, anti-depressants and blood pressure medicine. The medication that was collected will be turned over to the Drug Enforcement Agency for proper disposal.