San Andreas, CA…In 2015, approximately 3,017 pounds of unused/unwanted drugs were collected for disposal.
The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office and Angels Camp Police Department held a number of “Drop the Drugs” events in 2015. On December 15th alone, we collected 111 pounds of unused and/or unwanted prescription medications at three locations in the county. This program not only helps to protect the environment, it can also deter the usage of prescription drugs by unintended parties – including young people facing peer pressure and new ways to “get high.” The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office constantly strives to be proactive in enhancing public safety and saving lives.

During these “Drop the Drugs” events, Calaveras community members were given the opportunity to prevent prescription and other drug misuse and abuse by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted drugs. Several of these events were possible through funding from the Anti-Drug Abuse Justice Assistance Grant. “Drop the Drugs” is free for community members and anonymous. No questions asked.

This year, the Angels Camp Police Department joined the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office by providing a secure lock box in their lobby at headquarters where members of the public can dispose of their unused/unwanted prescription medications at any time during business hours. We have heard story after story from families that had been storing these medications after the loss of a family member or other situations. Many people who have participated in our program said they just didn’t know what to do with the unwanted prescription medications.
Storing unwanted or expired medicines in our homes contributes to the epidemic of medicine abuse and accidental poisonings. When flushed or thrown away, unused medicines are hazardous waste that pollutes our waters and environment. Our Drop the Drugs program offers the only secure and environmentally sound way to dispose of leftover medicines.
• Wastewater treatment facilities don’t destroy pharmaceuticals that are flushed. Most drugs pass through treatment plants and into our surface, ground, and marine waters.
• Trash disposal is not secure– especially for narcotics and other highly addictive and dangerous drugs. Even if pills are crushed or adulterated before they’re thrown in the trash – which is a dangerous practice itself – the drugs retain their biological and chemical activity and can still get into the environment. Trash disposal simply puts the environmental problem of these persistent toxic chemicals onto future generations.
• Pets can be poisoned by medicines thrown in the trash. The Animal Poison Control Center handled more than 46,000 cases in the U.S. of pets exposed to medicines in 2009. (ASPCA)
• Toxic leftover medicines are household hazardous waste that should not be put into landfills.
• High temperature incineration at properly permitted facilities is currently the safest disposal method for toxic left-over medicines. That’s how the pharmaceutical industry disposes of their unwanted medicines.
The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office will continue to provide “Drop the Drugs” events in the coming year. Please register at www.nixle.com

to receive notifications from the Sheriff’s Office of when these events will take place as well as other advisory information of community concern.