Community Corner

Drop Off Unwanted Drugs at Pittsfield Township Police Department Saturday

The U.S. DEA is sponsoring a drug take back event from 3 to 5 p.m.

Do you have an assortment of unused drugs in your medicine cabinet? The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, local law enforcement agencies and the Washtneaw County Public Health Department wants you to get rid of them. Safely.

The U.S. DEA is sponsoring a drug “take back” program Saturday in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies, including the Pittsfield Township Police Department.

From 3-5 p.m. at the Pittsfield Township Police Department, located at 6227 E. Michigan Ave., residents may drop off their unused, expired, or unwanted medications. Unlike the county’s take-back program, controlled substances will be accepted at this special collection event. No liquids or aerosols will be accepted. If a person brings in illegal narcotics, a police report will be filed.

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According to a press release issued by Washtenaw County, the initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. The release states that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to misuse and abuse. According to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more Americans abuse prescription drugs than those using cocaine, hallucinogens and heroin combined.

Jeff Krcmarik, of the Washtenaw County Public Health Department, said drug disposal is also an environmental issue. For years, he said, people were encouraged to flush unused drugs down the toilet to help prevent poisonings and misuse. But now, Krcmarik said, pharmaceutical compounds are being found in surface water.

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“One of the big issues is that municipal waste water treatment plants were not made to handle the compounds in these drugs,” he said. “A person taking a drug may absorb most of the drug before it is flushed out into the sewage treatment system. But when you dump an entire bottle of drugs into the toilet, that’s a large concentration that I’m not sure these systems can handle.”

He noted that large concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds could also compromise the quality of septic systems owned by country residents.

The risk to humans and animals of long-term exposure to these contaminants in drinking water is unknown, according to the county’s Don’t Flush Drugs website.

So Krcmarik is encouraging people to property dispose of unwanted drugs.

Drugs collected Saturday will be incinerated.

Washtenaw County has several local pharmacies that accept unused pharmaceuticals and dispose of them in a safe, environmentally-sound manner. However, the pharmacies are not legally able to collect controlled or scheduled drugs.

Visit www.dontflushdrugs.com for a list of local pharmacies participating in the county’s take-back program and for information about what is considered a scheduled drug.

According to the county’s site, there were 877 reports of children accidentally ingesting ibuprofen to Michigan’s Poison Control Center between January and June of 2008. There were 501 similar reports of ingestion of pediatric multivitamins and 474 reports involving antihistamines during the same time frame.

In Saline, residents can return old and unwanted medications to the pharmacy at Busch’s, 565 E. Michigan Ave., for property medication.

For more on the issue, visit www.dontflushdrugs.com.


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