The Tri-Town Community Action Agency’s Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition has partnered with the Johnston Police Department to establish a permanent Med Return drug drop-off box at the Johnston Police Department.
The specially built box will allow local residents to dispose of prescriptions and over-the-counter medications in a safe and secure way.
“This is a great idea,” said Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena during a gathering to launch the program on Tuesday. “A lot of times you get someone who has lost a family member who was on a lot of medications, and the family doesn’t know what to do with them. Some of them flush them down the toilet, but if they have a septic system they can leach into the ground and into a nearby well. And flushing into the sewer system only means they eventually wind up in Narragansett Bay.
“The key is getting rid of them safely and not worrying about the environment and also securing the medications so they don’t get into someone’s garbage where someone can find them,” the mayor added.
Johnston Patrolman Charles Psilopoulos chairs the Substance Abuse Task Force and was instrumental in getting the drop-off box.
“The program is meant to prevent drugs from getting into the wrong hands … getting into the hands of youths,” he said. “A lot of the elderly have expired meds, and we just want a safe place that people can drop the medications off anonymously, 24-7. We just want to keep these meds off the streets so people don’t overdose or get sick.”
Psilopoulos said the problem of prescription drug misuse in Rhode Island is “extremely serious.”
“So far this year there have been over 56 deaths due to prescription drug misuse, and that’s more than twice the number of deaths for the same period last year,” he said. “We have reached out to other departments that have done this, and it’s been a success. People are dropping off the drugs, and we’re hoping for the same result here in Johnston.”
Town Council member David Santilli spoke highly of the initiative.
“We know a lot of parents have trouble disposing of their excess medications,” he said. “Now, they will be able to just come to the police station anytime they want and deposit them, and they don’t have to worry about young children getting to the medications. I think it’s a great idea.”
In a press release, Tri-Town notes that Rhode Island has the 13th highest drug overdose mortality rate in the country and the highest in New England, with roughly four overdose deaths every week.
According to the agency, 70 percent of young people abusing prescription pain relievers get them from friends or family.
The drop-off box is located in front of the Johnston Police Station on Atwood Avenue.
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