Once again, Wisconsin ranks second in nation for Drug Take Back collections
By Patrick Lynn
Attorney General Josh Kaul on Wednesday announced that Wisconsin had the second-largest collection in the nation for April’s Drug Take Back Day.
It’s the second consecutive year Wisconsin has placed second, this year collecting 60,632 pounds of unwanted and old prescription and over-the-counter medications. Kaul said the Badger State trails Texas again, which collected 65,791 pounds of drugs last month.
The biannual event is a cooperative effort with the Drug Enforcement Administration, and state and local law enforcement agencies.
The Plover Police Department collected 11 boxes, with 26 boxes coming from the Stevens Point Police Department and the rest from the Portage Co. Sheriff’s Office.
In the past, Sheriff Mike Lukas was able to dispatch deputies to various locations in the county to better accommodate residents for the Take Back event. But due to COVID-19, that didn’t happen this year.
“They loaded the heck out of our bins this weekend anyway,” Lukas said. “We didn’t go out into the community for this one but we still got just as much.”
Statewide, over 290 law enforcement agencies participated in Drug Take Back Day, and disposed drugs were collected from drug disposal boxes at law enforcement agencies across the state. There are 489 permanent drug disposal boxes accessible year-round in Wisconsin at law enforcement agencies, hospitals, pharmacies and health clinics.
Drug Take Back Day provides a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the community about the potential abuse and consequences of improper storage and disposal of these medications.
Unused or expired medicine should never be flushed or poured down the drain. Water reclamation facilities are not designed to remove all of them, and trace amounts of pharmaceuticals are showing up in rivers and lakes.
The collected medications were shipped to an incinerator in Indianapolis.
A list of permanent drug disposal boxes can be found here: https://doseofrealitywi.gov/drug-takeback/find-a-take-back-location/