Henderson County Sheriff, Matthew Link announced that it had established a convenient medication take-back program for easy disposal of leftover, unused, and out-of-date prescription and over-the-counter medications.
To help reduce the risk of drugs in the home that can potentially harm children, teens, or adults, a secure and safe drop-off location has been established at the Sheriff’s Office lobby, 113 N. 4th St. Oquawka, IL.
Unused medications in the home are a source of drug abuse in millions of homes, with the opioid crisis in the United States fueled in part by that availability: 47%* of misused prescription pain relievers are given by, bought from, or taken from a friend or relative. On average, an American dies of a drug overdose every 5 minutes**.
“We want to ensure the residents in our community have a safe, secure opportunity to clean out their medicine cabinets and make their homes and community safer,” said Henderson County Sheriff Matthew Link. “We want to remind people they should not flush drugs down the toilet. Traces of drugs can appear in community drinking water.” “Our drug disposal unit, which is easily accessible inside the sheriff’s office lobby, is a great answer to that problem, and it’s simple to use,” said Henderson County Sheriff Matthew Link. “All they do is just come in, look for the big green receptacle, and take it from there. Drugs can be dropped off with no questions asked. The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is committed to providing responsible medication disposal solutions in Henderson County.”
Sheriff Link said some things couldn’t be deposited in the receptacle, such as empty injector products and needles, but sheriff’s office staff will be on hand to help determine what to do. The collection receptacle will be available to the public at the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office 24 hours a day.
The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office partnered with Inmar to manage this drug take-back program funded by drug manufacturers. The company has a long history as an industry leader in handling prescription and over-the-counter drug returns safely, securely, and discreetly for large and regional chain drug stores and independent pharmacies, hospitals, and law enforcement agencies across the U.S.
***Courtesy of Henderson County Sheriff Matthew Link***
