Prevent abuse and theft; turn in unwanted pills Saturday

Residents are encouraged to rid their homes of potentially dangerous expired, used and unwanted prescription drugs by participating in this weekend’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, organized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in partnership with local law enforcement agencies.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office is asking people to bring their pills for disposal between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday to the Albertsons store at the intersection of U.S. 95 and Prairie Avenue in Hayden. A deputy will be present.

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked, said the Sheriff’s Office, in a news release.

“This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs,” said the Sheriff’s Office.

“The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — both pose potential safety and health hazards.”

The DEA cannot accept liquids or sharps, only pills or patches.

The Post Falls Police Department will be collecting unused medication Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Post Falls City Hall, 408 N. Spokane Street. The city will also offer during the same time, a chance for residents to recycle old electronics and shred paper.

The lobby of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, 3818 N. Schreiber Way, will be open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. so people can properly dispose of unwanted pills.

Last fall, Americans turned in 456 tons — that’s 912,000 pounds — of prescription drugs at more than 5,300 sites operated by the DEA and almost 4,300 of its state and local law enforcement partners.

“These medications, including highly addictive opioids, must be disposed of properly to prevent tragic overdoses and death,” said Jolie Jantz, a clinical pharmacist with Heritage Health, in a news release.

Jantz warns that grandparents with unused opioid prescriptions are putting themselves and their loved ones at risk.

“These prescriptions may be found or stolen, and this could lead to a deadly overdose,” Jantz said. “Younger children are also at risk for accidentally ingesting them. Don’t delay in disposing of your unused prescriptions.”

Citizens don’t have to wait until a “national day” to dispose of these unwanted medications.

Unused pills can be disposed of properly in drug turn-in boxes throughout the year at the following locations:

- Coeur d’Alene Police Department, 3818 N. Schreiber Way, in the lobby during normal business hours, Monday through Friday.

- Rathdrum Police Department, 8178 W. Main St., in the lobby. Accessible 24 hours per day, seven days a week.

- Spirit Lake Police Department, 6159 W. Maine St., during regular lobby hours.

- Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, 5500 N. Government Way, Coeur d’Alene, during regular lobby hours.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about National Prescription Drug Take Back day, visit www.DEATakeBack.com.