(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s second Drug Dropoff Day – held Saturday Jan. 22 at three sites in Clark and Montgomery counties – yielded 710 pounds of unused and expired prescription medications and medical sharps, reinforcing the tremendous value of such public safeguarding events.
"Ohioans in these areas kicked off 2022 right by cleaning out their medicine cabinets – out with the old unused prescription medications and in with new safe storage at home,” Yost said. “Flushing unused prescriptions down the drain is not an environmentally friendly way of disposal, which is why these dropoff days are so beneficial."
Teaming with the attorney general on Saturday’s event were the Clark County Sheriff's Office, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and Dayton 24/7.
As with the AG’s first Drug Dropoff Day, the decision on where to focus the second event was guided by AG Yost’s Scientific Committee on Opioid Prevention and Education (SCOPE), which identified the counties accounting for the state’s highest opioid death rates. Both Clark (No. 8) and Montgomery (No. 9) ranked among the top 10 hardest-hit.
Here is a breakdown, by dropoff location, of the drugs collected on Saturday:
- Dayton Fire Station 11, 145 S. Warren St., Dayton: 495 pounds of drugs and 40 pounds of sharps
- Utilities Department, 3130 E. Main St., Springfield: 63 pounds of drugs
- Tecumseh School, 10000 W. National Rd., New Carlisle: 112 pounds of drugs
The AG’s first Drug Dropoff Day – held July 31 at two sites each in Franklin, Fayette and Scioto counties – yielded 446 pounds of medications.
“Seven-hundred pounds of prescription drugs is equal to the weight of a vending machine,” Yost said. “Clearly, removing such a heavy load of medications from our communities is not a one-person job, so we are thankful for our partners and for the Ohioans who answered our call to drop off their medications.”
The attorney general urged Ohioans to watch their local news to learn about the next drug dropoff dates and locations.
Anyone who missed out on Drug Dropoff Day can dispose of unnecessary prescriptions by contacting local law enforcement. To make sure that you are practicing safe storage, see the storage guidelines highlighted here.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kelly May: 614-813-7419
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