The first drug take-back program in Cole County using a new way to dispose of prescription drugs will take place Sept. 12.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the sheriff's department on East High Street, residents can drop off unused pills and see them destroyed. Members of the sheriff's posse will be helping with this Saturday program. It will be done on camera in the sheriff's department lobby to document everything.
Sheriff Greg White hopes to hold a drug take-back program once a month as necessary.
After the Drug Enforcement Administration eliminated funding and assistance for the Federal Prescription Drug Take Back Program earlier this year, several law enforcement agencies, including the Jefferson City and Columbia police departments, announced they would no longer accept prescription drugs.
Earlier this month, members of the ACT Missouri Substance Abuse Prevention Network announced they will provide Deterra Drug Deactivation Systems to 10 regional support centers across the state.
The Deterra system is a bag where the pills are dumped. Water is added, and the bags are sealed then thrown away. The bags contain activated carbon, also used in municipal water purification, as an absorbent for chemicals. In solution, it can safely deactivate medications, and authorities said the bags are safe to be dumped into landfills.
When the state first started doing collections in 2010, around 5,000 pounds of pills were collected. In 2014, more than 33,000 pounds of pills were collected. The concern was after the funding cuts were announced, communities no longer able to collect the pills would see a backslide and pills would be flushed down the toilet or left in medicine cabinets where children can get a hold of them.
ACT Missouri wants to partner with local pharmacies to carry individual-size bags that allow a person to dispose of drugs themselves since drugs have a lifespan and can become dangerous if not disposed of in a timely manner.