Unwanted prescription drugs can be taken to county Sheriff's Office

Folks wishing to drop off unwanted prescription drugs can do so Saturday at the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

It is part of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Take Back Day, which is meant to rid homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

According to the Montana Department of Justice, the initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in homes are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses from these drugs.

“As we face an epidemic of opioid deaths, overdoses, and addictions, I urge Montanans to help protect their loved ones, friends, and community by disposing of unused or expired prescription drugs at collection sites across the state. The DEA’s Take Back Day is an important, safe, and convenient way to clean out your medicine cabinet,” U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

During the last Take Back Day held on April 30, 2022, 4,427 law enforcement participants at 5,144 collection sites in the U.S. brought in a total weight of 721,093 pounds, or 360 tons, of drugs. This brings the total weight collected to 15.9 million pounds, or more than 7,995 tons, of prescription drugs collected in the history of the program.

During the April 30, 2022 event, Montanans turned in 1,513 pounds of prescription drugs at 33 collection sites. Thirty-two law enforcement agencies participated.

In addition to DEA’s National Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 29, prescription drugs can be disposed of any day throughout the year at any of the 11,000 authorized collectors, including three in southern Lincoln County.

According to the DEA, in Libby, they are Frank’s Pharmacy and the Northwest Community Health Center Pharmacy. In Troy, Kootenai Drug also accepts unwanted prescription drugs.