Sheriff's Office Offers Safe Disposal of Rx Drugs

Dorchester County Sheriff's Office press release

Dorchester County Sheriff's Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration will offer the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29.

Bring your medications for disposal to the Sheriff’s Office at 212 Deming Way, Summerville, and 101 Ridge St., St. George. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last April, Americans turned in 552,161 pounds — 276 tons — of prescription drugs at over 5,600sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,300 state and local law enforcement partners. In its four previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 1.5 million pounds—nearly 775tons—of pills.

Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse, according to the DEA. Rates of prescription drugabuse in the U.S. are high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including 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 — pose potential safety and health hazards.