343 Pounds Of Unwanted Drugs Turned Into County Police

MILLERSVILLE, MD — More than 300 pounds of unwanted prescription medicines were turned in to the Anne Arundel County Police Department Saturday during its Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Several hundred bottles of expired and unused medications were collected through sites at the county’s four police districts and police headquarters.

About 343 pounds of various prescription medications were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for disposal, police said in a news release. Each collection site was staffed with a representative from the Police Department, as well as a DEA investigator, to answer any questions or concerns about medications getting into the wrong hands and the abuse of prescription medication.

Residents were informed of the harm caused by flushing the unused medication down the toilet and how it affects the water, septic systems, the environment and overall public safety.

"This event was held on a national level and the Anne Arundel County Police Department was proud to assist the Drug Enforcement Administration and the local community in this program," officials said.

The county has permanent drug drop-off boxes at its district offices; those drop boxes are accessible around the clock.

County drop-site locations are:

• Southern District, 35 Stepneys Lane in Edgewater, (410) 222-1961
• Western District, 8273 Telegraph Road in Odenton, (410) 222-6155
• Eastern District, 3700 Mountain Road in Pasadena, (410) 222-6145
• Northern District, 939 Hammonds Lane in Baltimore, (410) 222-6135

The box at county police headquarters, 8495 Veterans Highway in Millersville, is available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In Annapolis, the Anne Arundel County Department of Health has placed a permanent prescription drug drop-off box in the lobby of the Annapolis Police department, 199 Taylor Ave. The public can discard expired, unwanted, and unused prescription and over-the-counter drugs Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays.

»Graphic courtesy of the US Drug Enforcement Agency