The Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office – along with the Rock Springs and Green River Police Departments – is teaming with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to host a special program to rid homes of potentially dangerous prescription drugs that are expired, unused, and unwanted.
The initiative is called National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
Sheriff Mike Lowell said unused prescriptions and medications languishing in home medicine cabinets are highly vulnerable to misuse, abuse, accidental overdoses, and theft. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends. In addition, flushing unused medicines down the toilet or throwing them in the trash pose safety and health hazards.
Lowell said Sweetwater County residents with medicines and/or prescriptions can turn them in for disposal from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturday, April 29, at the following locations, where county deputies and city police officers will be on hand:
Green River
– Smith’s Food and Drug, 905 Bridger Drive
Rock Springs
– Sweetwater County Fire District #1, 3010 College Drive
– Albertson’s, 1323 Dewar Drive
– Smith’s, 2531 Foothill Boulevard
The service is free and anonymous; no questions asked. The Take Back Day collection drive is only for pills, capsules, or patches. Liquids, needles, sharps, or street drugs cannot be accepted.
In October of last year, Americans turned in 366 tons of prescription drugs at almost 5,200 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Since the Take Back Day started, 7.1 million pounds — or more than 3,500 tons — of pills have been accepted.
