Wisconsin Is Stepping Up To Save Lives Through Safe Drug Disposal

SHELL LAKE, WI -- Almost every home has one—that cabinet or drawer filled with prescriptions and other medications. And if yours is like most, it probably contains a few things you didn’t know you had, or no longer need. And that can have serious consequences.

More than 2.9 million opioid prescriptions are written every year in Wisconsin. That’s right, 2.9 million! And when unused and expired medications start to pile up, it’s easy for them to fall into the wrong hands. Far too often, medications that get overlooked cause unintended harm or become a gateway to misuse.

Luckily, Wisconsinites are known for taking care of each other. And that’s precisely what we’ve been doing. Wisconsin has continually been a leader in collecting unused and expired medications during national drug take back days ranking second only to California. In the past, upwards of 100,000 pounds of medications have been collected in a single year. That’s the same weight as a herd (66+ average sized) holsteins that can be seen while driving through Wisconsin communities. But the most important part of the collection effort is a statistic impossible to measure—the lives potentially saved with every safe disposal. And make no mistake—safe disposal saves lives.

This year, we are calling on more Wisconsinites to do their part to help protect our families, friends, and great communities. How do you get started?

Easy! Just open your medicine cabinet, gather what you no longer need, remove or cover up prescription or personal information, and put them in a zip-top bag.

What next?

Simply choose a safe disposal option that’s best for you. This spring, on April 27th, Healthy WashCo and Change In The Youth (CITY youth coalition) are partnering with the DEA and Spooner Police Department to host a County-wide drug take back event at the Spooner Police Department Community room from 10:00am to 2:00 pm for all county residents. If you can’t make it, many permanent drug drop boxes are available year-round across the state in convenient locations like pharmacies and police stations. In Washburn there are four permanent drug drop box locations:  Birchwood Police Department, Minong Police Department, Spooner Police Department, and the Washburn County Sheriff’s Office.  (Hours vary by location.)

If access or transportation to one of those locations is an issue, contact us at Healthy WashCo for information on how to receive free at home drug deactivation kits or mailers. Healthy WashCo also has free medication lock boxes available.

If you’d like to learn more about safe medication disposal and all available options, visit doseofrealitywi.gov. HealthyWashCo.org has local information regarding drug and alcohol misuse prevention and mental health awareness. To learn how you can help your community, go to healthywashco.org or follow Healthy WashCo on Facebook at WashCo Prevention.