Time to clean out that medicine cabinet.
The second national drug “Take-Back” day Saturday will allow North Olympic Peninsula residents to return unwanted prescription pills — including controlled substances — as part of an effort to curb prescription drug abuse, theft and water pollution.
Uniformed officers will be at Jim’s Pharmacy in Port Angeles, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, Port Angeles Police Department, Port Townsend Police Station and the Sequim Police Department to accept the unwanted pills, said Jim Borte, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
“We also hope to have Forks PD participate as well,” Borte said.
The service will be offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More than 2,700 pharmacies and other sites across the country joined the Drug Enforcement Administration’s inaugural drug return campaign Sept. 25.
“I bet our local effort alone collected a couple hundred pounds worth,” said Joe Cammack, owner of Jim’s Pharmacy, one of the sites.
“We’re hoping to beat that this time.”
The pharmaceutical drugs, including highly-addictive narcotic painkillers, are taken to the Environmental Protection Agency-approved incinerator in Spokane where law enforcement officials destroy the drugs they seize on the street.
“We know in terms of the environment, it’s not a good idea to flush them down the toilet,” Borte said.
Cammack said the idea is to “make it easy and convenient” for people to make the medicine cabinet part of their spring cleaning.
It is illegal for a pharmacy to accept controlled substances unless a law enforcement officer is present. Non-narcotic pills can be returned to Jim’s Pharmacy at 424 E. Second St. during business hours, Cammack said.
All drugs, including controlled substances, may be taken to the lobby of the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office for disposal Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
“We’re open all week,” Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict said.
“People can come in anytime.”
Benedict and Cammack said the drug take back program accomplishes two goals at once.
It keeps pollutants out the groundwater and keeps addictive drugs out of the wrong hands.
“The worst thing you can do is flush them down the toilet,” Benedict said, adding that drugs thrown in the trash will eventually leach into the soil.
“If you are an environmentally oriented person, it’s a great thing for the environment in terms of helping the water table,” Cammack said.
“From a public heath standpoint, prescription drug abuse cause major problems.”
Cammack said the Food and Drug Administration is pushing drug manufacturers to try to decrease prescription drug abuse.
“Part of the process is getting unused medicine out of the system,” he said.
Pills can be returned anonymously.
“No questions asked,” Borte said.
“No paperwork is involved.”
The Port Townsend Police Department will be open Saturday to collect pills, Sgt. Ed Green said.
Law enforcement offices around the Peninsula will accept unwanted pills during regular business hours on weekdays.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will not be open for the drug take back Saturday.
However, Sheriff Tony Hernandez said his department accepts all pills — including controlled substances — from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.
“People don’t realize that leaving pills in areas where they can be accessed is like leaving bullets to a gun around,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez described illegal prescription drug abuse as a “silent epidemic.”
He said high dose OxyContin pills sell for as much as $150 each on the street.
State Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, introduced a bill in February that would tax the pharmaceutical industry to pay for a prescription drug take-back program.
HB 2006 would raise an estimated $1.2 million a biennium for the program. Additional money raised would help fund the state’s Basic Health Program.
The bill is pending in the legislature.
Benedict said he is “confident that there will be a nationwide change in getting these pharmaceuticals properly collected and disposed of.”
Pete Peterson, Clallam County juvenile services director, said pills like Vicodin and OxyContin are “definitely another common-use drug now” and sell for $20 or more per pill on the street.
Benedict said the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office turned in 2,000 pounds of prescription drugs last year, 400 pounds of which were returned during the inaugural take back day last September.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office has collected 5,000 pounds of drugs in the past two years, Benedict said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
