Operation Medicine Cabinet Set for Saturday

Local law enforcement agencies are teaming up with the DEA to make getting rid of unwanted or expired prescription pills easy for Pinellas County residents.

Operation Medicine Cabinet makes its return Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The multiagency effort is designed to provide a place for residents to properly dispose of prescription pills instead of flushing them down the toilet or putting them in the trash. While both of those actions have been deemed health risks, law enforcement is especially interested in making sure unwanted pills don’t end up on Pinellas County streets.

“Operation Medicine Cabinet is designed to educate the public and raise awareness about the problem of prescription drugs abuse,” a media release from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office stated. “The problem has reached epidemic proportions, with prescription drugs as the number one abused drug in the United States, surpassing all other illicit drugs.”

The pill drop takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., no-questions-asked, at the following locations:

St. Petersburg Police Department
1300 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg Police Department Lobby)

St. Pete Beach Recreation Center
7701 Boca Ciega Drive, St. Pete Beach (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)

Kenneth City Police Department
4600 58th St. N., Kenneth City (Kenneth City Police Department)

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
10750 Ulmerton Road, Largo

Winn Dixie (Parking Lot)
2460 Eastbay Drive, Largo (Largo Police Department)

Westfield Countryside Mall (between LA Fitness & JC Penney’s)
27001 U.S. Highway 19 N., Clearwater (Clearwater Police Department)

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (North District Station - front parking lot)
737 Louden Ave., Dunedin (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)

Photo Credit: Patch File Photo