Madison Police Department Offers Safe Disposal of Prescription Drugs

In light of the prescription pill addiction epidemic that continues to grow across the state, the Madison Police Department offers local residents the opportunity to dispose of unwanted, unused, or expired prescription medication in the police station lobby at any time.

“Since June of 2013 the medication bin has been emptied 23 times with an unofficial weight of 988 lbs.,” a representative from the Madison Police Department stated.” “That is a lot of medication that has been disposed of safely and kept out of waterways and landfills!”

Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) (PDF | 3.2 MB) show that about 15.3 million people 12 or older used prescription drugs non-medically in the past year. A similar study conducted by the same organization in 2011 revealed more than 70 percent of people abusing prescription pain relievers got them through friends or relatives, a statistic that includes raiding the family medicine cabinet.

By disposing prescriptions at the Police Department, dangerous medications are kept out of the wrong hands and out of local waterways, Madison Police noted. This protects the environment and those at risk of gaining access to the medications.

The Madison Police Station is located at 62 Kinds Road in Madison. Click here to learn more.

Photos courtesy of the Madison Police Department Facebook Page.