Police department drop-off box allows for safe disposal of prescription meds

Drug drop-off box available year around

Simpsonville, S.C. — Ahead of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, the Simpsonville Police Department is encouraging the public to use its drug drop-off box in the police department lobby to safely dispose of prescription medications.

The environmentally safe medication disposal container provided by CVS Pharmacy is inside the back entrance of the department, which is open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The service allows for safe, anonymous disposal of expired or unused medications.

Simpsonville Police Chief Mike Hanshaw encouraged the public to dispose of expired and unused medications in the drop-off box not just Saturday but any day.

“The Simpsonville Police Department provides this service in an effort to help prevent the unsafe use of prescription medications and death,” Hanshaw said. “We don’t want prescription drugs falling into the wrong hands, especially those of children and people addicted to prescription drugs.”

The police department is at 405 E. Curtis St. in Simpsonville.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is an initiative by the Drug Enforcement Agency to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths. More than 6 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs in 2016, according to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. 

Almost 475 tons—or 949,046 pounds—of prescription drugs were disposed of in the spring, according to the DEA. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows most misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends.

Hanshaw said the service provided by the DEA is a great program and encouraged the public to take advantage of the Drug Take Back Day at Bon Secours St. Francis Health System in Greenville on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

“Any way that we can get unsafe prescription drugs out of homes and off the streets keeps us all safer,” Hanshaw said. “Whether you dispose of the medications at the drug drop-off box at the police department or at Drug Take Back Day, make sure your home is clear of unsafe prescription drugs. This is about preventing addiction, overdoses and death.”

The drug drop-off box only accepts the following:

• Non-controlled drugs and schedule II, III, IV and V controlled substances
• Prescriptions
• Prescription patches
• Prescription medications
• Prescription ointments
• Over-the-counter medications
• Vitamins
• Samples
• Medications for pets

The drug drop-off box does not accept the following:

• Needles (sharps)
• Medication from businesses or clinics
• Ointments, lotions or liquids
• Aerosol cans
• Inhalers
• Hydrogen peroxide

For more information, contact Justin Lee Campbell, community relations specialist, at jcampbell@simpsonville.com.