It’s not shocking anymore to hear about prescription painkillers and heroin abuse in Wisconsin communities. Law enforcement, elected officials, school officials, and the media – everyone is talking about the epidemic that is stealing futures and lives.
Chief Lucas Clements wants to inform the community that, on October 22, they can do something to help prevent this epidemic from spreading further. The Richland Center Police Department will be hosting a Drug Take Back Day, joining a national initiative to get all those unused prescription and over-the-counter drugs out of your medicine cabinet and safely destroyed.
70% of people who are addicted to prescription opioids got their first pills not from a street dealer, but improperly from a family member or friend. To help keep our community safe, please take advantage of this free service provided on the upcoming Drug Take Back Day.
Drug overdoses kill more people than car accidents in Wisconsin, and the largest number of those deaths aren’t caused by “hard street drugs.” In fact, prescription narcotic painkillers contribute to more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined. With more than 163,000 Wisconsinites addicted to prescription opioids, we all have a role in preventing that number from increasing.
On Saturday, October 22, go to the Richland Center Police Department between 10 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to stop this epidemic from taking an even bigger hold on our community and state. Here’s what you can bring:
Do Bring: Prescription (controlled and non-controlled) and over-the-counter medications, ointments, patches, inhalers, non-aerosol sprays, creams, vials, and pet medications.
Do Not Bring: Illegal drugs, needles/sharps, acids, aerosol cans, bio-hazardous materials (anything containing a bodily fluid or blood), personal care products (shampoo, soaps, lotions, and sunscreens), household hazardous waste (paint, pesticides, oil, and gas), and mercury thermometers.
- Participants may dispose of solid, non-liquid medication(s) by removing the medication from its container and disposing of it directly into a disposal box or into a clear sealable plastic bag. Plastic pill containers should not be collected. Blister packages without the medications being removed are acceptable.
- Liquids will be accepted during this initiative. However, the liquids, creams, and sprays must be in their original packaging. Liquids without the original packaging will not be accepted.
- Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative and should not be placed in collection containers.
Chief Clements states that every citizen in our community and across this state can play a role in solving this epidemic: use prescriptions only as prescribed to you, store prescriptions securely, properly dispose of unused prescriptions, and help spread the important message about safe prescription use. Please go to http://www.doseofrealitywi.gov/ to learn more about how we can make our community safer and healthier.