(CINCINNATI, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s fourth Drug Dropoff Day – held Saturday in Hamilton county – yielded 224 pounds of unused or expired prescription medications, ensuring that these drugs can do no harm to Ohioans or the environment.
“Every person who stops to drop off unwanted prescriptions is helping to ensure that the community is a little bit safer,” AG Yost said. “This simple errand helps to save lives, prevent drug overdoses and ward off drug addiction. I'm thankful to our partners and the community for turning out.”
Combined, the AG’s four Drug Dropoff Days have properly disposed of more than 1,600 pounds of drugs. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio Sea Grant joined the Attorney General’s Office in sponsoring the event.
As with previous Dropoff Days, the location of Saturday’s event was guided by Yost’s Scientific Committee on Opioid Prevention and Education (SCOPE), which has identified Hamilton County’s opioid overdose death rate in 2020 as 12.21 per 100,000, the second highest of Ohio’s three major cities.
Yost’s partnership with Ohio Sea Grant, a Great Lakes research program based at Ohio State University, aims to draw attention to the threat of discarded drugs getting into groundwater and lakes, rivers and streams. Traces of pharmaceuticals have been detected in drinking water, and continuous exposure to low levels of the contaminants can harm aquatic life.
“A lot of different chemicals and compounds are making it into the environment,” said Chris Winslow, director of Ohio Sea Grant. “There is a direct reproductive impact of some of these contaminants associated with medicines.”
A total of 126 cars visited the three drop-off sites. Here is a breakdown of what was collected at each location:
- Miami Township Town Hall (Cleves): 60 pounds of drugs, 14.8 pounds of sharps
- Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office District 4 (Silverton): 90 pounds of drugs
- Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office District 5 (Cincinnati): 74 pounds of drugs
Anyone who missed out on the event Saturday can dispose of unwanted prescriptions by contacting local law enforcement. To make sure that you are practicing safe storage, see the guidelines highlighted
here.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kelly May: 614-813-7419
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