The Hancock County Sheriff’s office now offers a simple and safe way to dispose of out-of-date and/or unused prescription drugs.
The sheriff’s office, 875 State St., Garner, is accepting prescription and over-the-counter drugs for disposal 24 hours a day, seven days of the week. You can protect your family, community and environment by disposing of these medications properly.
Sheriff Scott Dodd has decided to be proactive when it comes to the issue of non-medical use of prescription drugs. Addiction to, and impairment from, diverted prescription medications is second only to alcohol in North Iowa in numbers of people affected and cost to society.
A significant portion of these diverted medications come from medicine cabinets throughout the county. The prescriptions written for opiate-based pain medications alone have increased tenfold in the last 20 years, according to the Center for Disease Control. This increased availability — coupled with a low perception of risk because these drugs were originally prescribed by a doctor — has led many people to develop an addiction or experience a problem because of impairment.
Remember: anyone in your bathroom, with or without your permission, has access to anything you have in your medicine cabinet. Family, friends, guests or burglars can be tempted by these unused, controlled substances (drugs that can change a person’s mood, addict and impair). Proper, timely disposal protects everyone and ultimately saves money for anyone paying taxes or insurance premiums.
