Sheriff Craig Webre is reminding residents that unwanted prescription drugs can be dropped off at three Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office locations. The National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators donated drop-off boxes in 2016 through a sponsorship by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. The boxes are provided to help citizens properly dispose of prescription medications.

The drop-off boxes are located in the lobbies of these LPSO locations: Administrative Office (200 Canal Boulevard) in Thibodaux; the Criminal Operations Center (805 Crescent Avenue) in Lockport; and the South Lafourche Sub-station (102 West 91st Street) in Cut Off. The drop-off boxes are available to be utilized during regular office hours, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“We have always allowed the public drop off unused and unwanted prescription medications to us year-round with no questions asked,” said Sheriff Webre. “These boxes have allowed people to drop off the medications more easily and quickly.”

All solid dosage pharmaceutical products and liquids in consumer containers may be accepted. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container. The depositor should ensure the cap is tightly sealed to prevent leakage. Items that will not be accepted include intravenous solutions, injectable drugs, and syringes (due to potential hazards posed by blood-borne pathogens).

Since implementing the drug drop boxes in April 2016, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office has collected over 357 pounds of assorted in addition to other various prescription medications. Those pills and other medications have been turned over to the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration for proper disposal.

Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.