ST. GEORGE — Have any drugs lying around?
Both the Federal Drug Administration and law enforcement on the local, state and federal levels have been warning about the dangers of unused prescription drugs – especially opioids – ending up in the wrong hands.
As part of the biannual National Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, several local stores, law enforcement organizations and health groups are holding events throughout Southern Utah where people can drop off unused and unneeded medications anonymously and free of charge.
The rising numbers of unused prescription drugs like fentanyl and hydrocodone going from mom and dad’s medicine cabinet to the street gives both those who wear a badge and those who wear stethoscopes pause.
Drug Take Back Day is designed to ensure unused medications are safely discarded.
Local health officials said in comparison to other areas in Utah and the nation, Southern Utah is below average as far as prescription drug abuse among youth.
And that’s where prevention comes in.
Southwest Prevention Services’ Prevention Specialist Pamela Holiday said her job is to make sure prescription drug abuse doesn’t become a bigger problem here.
“I work in prevention, so we’re trying to prevent people from ever utilizing services or ever needing to utilize services like the Southwest Behavioral Health Center,” Holiday said. “Bringing awareness about safely disposing them and also ensuring that there is access. I think a lot of people don’t realize that these resources are available to them anytime that they need it.”
According to Utah State Extension, 50% of people who use opioids other than prescribed get them from family or friends.
Holiday added that even if the numbers don’t support an epidemic of young people locally, this is the time to prevent it from happening.
“It’s not a big issue among our youth here in Washington County,” she said, adding that an estimated 1.5% of sixth-12th graders misuse prescription drugs in Washington County. “However, we still want to mitigate any type of risk.”
The need for prevention was echoed by Tiffany Mitchell, public information officer for the St. George Police Department.
“By removing unused drugs from your home, you can possibly prevent misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting,” Mitchell said. “When you safely dispose of unused drugs you eliminate the potential harm they could cause to loved ones or those who weren’t prescribed the medication.”
Just flushing medications down the toilet isn’t the best option either. Holiday said that brings the potential for toxic chemicals to enter groundwater and other water supplies eventually.
“Especially … being in Southern Utah, we already have a limited water supply,” Holiday said. “So we want to encourage residents to not do that.”
Take Back Day events have been held twice a year for the last decade to bring attention to the need to dispose of unused drugs. These aren’t the only days people can drop off medications, but there will be more locations available this weekend to drop off drugs than the number offered year-round.
Among locations that will be having drop-off points on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will be the Smith’s Market on Bluff Street in St. George, Walmart Supercenters in Hurricane and Cedar City, and the headquarters for St. George Police Department and Iron County Sheriff’s Office.
During last April’s Drug Take Back Day, Holiday said the Smith’s Bluff Street location alone received 110 pounds of medications. This number more than quadrupled at the St. George Police Department, which received 455 pounds of pills and opioids that otherwise might have ended up in the wrong hands.
And it’s not just pills and medications that can be dropped off. Pet medications and vape cartridges can also be dropped off.
This includes syringes and sharps often used by those with diabetes.
“By law, people are required to safely dispose of sharps,” Holiday said. “However, the access and the resource to do so is very limited and because of that, needles are getting not properly disposed and it can be very dangerous for people working in our landfills.”
People are being asked to remove identifying labels from pill bottles and other medication to maintain anonymity.
The following locations are taking part in National Take Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.:
- Smiths Market, 20 N. Bluff Street, St. George
- St. George Police Department, 265 N. 200 East, St. George
- Walmart, 180 N. 3400 West, Hurricane
- Hurricane Police Department, 90 S. 700 West, Hurricane
- Walmart, 1330 S. Providence Center Dr., Cedar City
- Lin’s Market, 150 N. Main St., Cedar City
Iron County Sherrif’s Office, 2132 N. Main St, Cedar City
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