Have Pills You Don’t Need? Don’t Flush Them, Give ‘Em To The Cops

It's been one heck of a year. Or perhaps more precisely one heck of a year and a half. Last August, our beloved greyhound JJ "The Chill Hound" passed away from cancer. Then at the end of last year, my wife Kathy fell ill and we've been in and out of hospitals ever since. It's almost sad enough to write a Country song about. However, I digress. I mention my wife's illness and my pet's passing for one reason. Meds. What do you do with all that leftover medicine you don't need?

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You might think, well just toss those pills in the toilet and flush 'em. Except, here's the thing. It's not good for the environment or water supply. Surprisingly, there are some meds, when left with no other disposal option, that the FDA recommends be flushed. Because better flushed than your kids or pets getting into them. That, however, isn't the best solution.

So anyway, fast forward to today. We have a zip-lock bag full of medications that our pup was on before passing. As well as another zip-lock bag full of medications, that my wife was on at one time. Not to mention some medications that came home from the hospital with my wife last time that she may or may not still be on. Our home healthcare nurse suggested some of the meds were worth saving at this point, but suggested we get rid of the others.

Well, there's a perfect opportunity Saturday, April 22, 2023, to get rid of medications you're not on anymore or that have expired safely. Give 'em to the cops. I'm serious.

Saturday is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and officers from the Johnson Country Sheriff's Office will be in the Warrensburg Wallgreen's parking lot collecting expired and unwanted prescription medications from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM CDT. Heck, you don't even have to get out of your car. Just pull up, give the officer your unwanted meds, and get on with your day. The Johnson County Sheriff and the DEA will take care of getting rid of the pills safely.

There are some limitations to the program, however. Officers will be accepting any prescription pills that you no longer want or need. Liquid medications and syringes will not be accepted for disposal. In those cases, you should contact your healthcare provider for information on how to dispose of those safely.

The DEA says, according to the Johnson County Sheriff's Facebook page, "The majority of opioid addictions start with prescription pills found in medicine cabinets at home. Pharmaceutical drugs can be just as dangerous as street drugs when taken without a prescription or a doctor’s supervision."

Regardless if it's a powerful painkiller that can be abused, or just that antibiotic you should have finished but didn't, get them out of our house and give 'em to the cops. That way they'll be disposed of safely.