ROCK SPRINGS – Citizens looking to dispose of excess and expired prescription and over-the-counter medications can now visit the safe and secure permanent drop off location at 221 C Street, in the Rock Springs Police Department (RSPD) lobby.
The Prevention Management Organization of Sweetwater County (PMOSC) has partnered with the RSPD to establish a permanent MedReturn drug collection program in order to reduce the supply of drugs that can potentially harm teens and adults. The purchase of the drug collection unit was made with funds from the, “Partnership for Success” federal grant CFDA#93.243 that was awarded to the Wyoming Department of Health and managed by the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police (WASCOP).
According to the 2011 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), more than six million Americans abuse prescription drugs. Among youth who are 12 to 17 years old, 7.4 percent report past year non-medical use of prescription drugs.
Properly disposing of excess drugs is everyone’s responsibility as a matter of public safety. More than 70 percent of young people abusing prescription pain relievers get them through friends or family, a statistic that includes raiding the family medicine cabinet. Now Rock Springs citizens won’t have to wait for a specific take-back day to clean out their medicine cabinets.
The collection site is open 7 days a week 24 hours a day. Drugs can be dropped off with no questions asked.
The drug collection unit is produced by MedReturn, LLC of Grafton, WI. MedReturn, LLC is committed to providing a safe, secure and environmentally friendly way to help law enforcement agencies and communities collect unwanted or expired household medication, including prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs and unused pharmaceuticals.
