Police collect voluntarily returned drugs over the weekend

By Anne Eickstadt

ANNE EICKSTADT PHOTO Belvidere Republican
Pharmacists and students sort and separate the incoming medications for disposal during the Drug Take Back event.

Editor

Saturday, Oct. 27, was Prescription Drug Take Back Day across the country. The Belvidere Police Department hosted the event at the Township Building, 8200 Fairgrounds Road. The event began at 9 a.m. and lasted until 12 p.m.

Supervisor Bill Robertson, BPD Deputy Chief Matt Wallace and Community Policing Coordinator Officer Tim Blankenship were on site throughout the event as Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) directed traffic through the grounds, pharmacists and pharmacy students handled the drugs, and township employees did a quick survey of each vehicle.

The final count for the event was: 144 cars brought in outdated or unused products from 182 households that added up to 276 pounds of medication products that are now out of circulation.

According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.2 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that nearly 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2017. More than half of those deaths involved opioids, including prescription drugs and heroin.

The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

Of all the major drugs of abuse, only marijuana is…

For complete article, pick up the Nov. 1 Belvidere Republican.