Attorney General Curtis Hill announced today that a drug takeback event in Columbus on July 12 produced a significant haul – approximately 400 pounds of expired, unused and/or otherwise unwanted prescription drugs. The event, held at a Kroger store, was a collaborative effort by the Office of the Attorney General, Indiana State Police, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office and the Columbus Police Department. The 400 pounds was a record amount for a single event and brings the total collected by the office this year to 1,463 pounds.
Keeping old medication puts families at risk, which is why it’s important to dispose of unused or leftover medication. Drug takeback events help Hoosiers properly dispose of prescriptions –preventing accidental poisoning, overdose, illegal use, identity theft and contamination of water resources.
“Abuse of prescription medicine is a big part of our overall drug crisis,†Attorney General Hill said. “Across the United States, more than 6 million people abuse controlled prescription drugs. Here in Indiana, nearly 1 in 20 Hoosiers report having used opioid pain relievers for non-medical uses, and a majority of abused medication comes from family and friends of users. We’re doing good work whenever we get these drugs out of people’s medicine cabinets and properly discarded.â€
