Oktibbeha County residents wishing to safely dispose of prescription medications may do so at two locations Saturday during the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s Drug Take-back Day.
Starkville Police Department and Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office will accept drop-offs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Vowell’s Marketplace, located at 118 Highway 12 West, and the sheriff’s office 111 Dr. D.L. Conner Drive location.
Residents are asked to bring controlled, noncontrolled and over-the-counter medications they wish to dispose of, SPD Public Information Officer Brandon Lovelady said, but syringes, intravenous solutions and injectables will not be accepted.
“Drop-offs will also be treated with anonymity, so participants should be sure to remove any identifying labels from containers, such as prescription bottles,” he said.
The Food and Drug Administration recommends consumers and caregivers remove expired, unwanted or unused medications from their homes.
Proper disposal prevents the chance of poisoning in children and pets; deters misuse by teenagers and adults; avoids health problems associated with taking the wrong medicine, too much of the same medicine or medicines that have expired; and keeps drugs from entering water supplies if they’re poured down sink drains or flushed down toilets.
Both the FDA and Environmental Protection Agency advises the public to utilize drug take-back programs or at least follow medication’s specific disposal instructions.
Working with more than 4,200 law enforcement agencies last year, the DEA collected about 447 tons of unwanted medicines from 5,400 drop-off sites across the country. In Mississippi, 32 law enforcement agencies helped collect 1,827 pounds of medicine during the one-day event, DEA statistics show.
Lovelady acknowledged the growing national trend of opioid abuse — including prescription pain relievers, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine and fentanyl, and heroin — but said he was unaware of any spikes in local arrests for those drugs.
In 2016, Starkville Municipal Court handled 29 drug-related felonies and 142 drug-related misdemeanors. An exact count of how many of those cases involved prescription drugs was unavailable Thursday.
Although the Lowndes and Clay counties’ sheriff’s offices are not participating in the drug take-back event, Columbus Police Department has a permanent drop-off bin for unwanted prescriptions. The West Point Police Department is participating in Saturday’s event, but a request for information about its time and location went unreturned Thursday.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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