Cops collect prescription drugs
By Joe Gorman
Posted May 13, 2010
 

WARREN -The pills came in all kinds of bags.

There were sandwich bags, shopping bags, paper bags, freezer bags and even garbage bags. Some of the bags even had garbage in them, but members of the Trumbull Ashtabula Group sifted through them Wednesday during ''Operation: Empty Medicine Cabinet.''

The program allowed residents to drop off old or unused medicine and prescriptions at the Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management building on Enterprise Boulevard. The program was sponsored by the Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse, or ASAP.

Lt. Jeff Orr, head of the local drug task force, said he was happy with the response. TAG members were cataloging the drugs collected Wednesday and will store them in their evidence room, Orr said. The drugs will be destroyed with other drugs TAG collects during raids and other actions when they receive a judge's order allowing them to destroy evidence, he said.

''This has never been done before,'' Orr said. ''There was a lot of hard work that went into this, especially by ASAP.''

One of the reasons for the program was to limit the misuse of drugs that may be found by children in the medicine cabinets of their parents or other relatives.

A lot of times kids will attend ''pill parties'' at which different types of pills are put in a bowl and kids will sample from there, Orr said.

''It's an experimental thing for them,'' Orr said.

There were prescription medications dropped off, as well as vitamins and other types of over-the-counter drugs. One of the bags even contained a broken egg along with some in which the medicine was mingled with other trash.

Ann Anstine of Warren Township was dropping off some of her medicine Wednesday and said she likes the recycling benefit of the program because the bottles and other products can be recycled.

''I recycle everything,'' Anstine said.

John Viloreto of Warren said he had a lot of old medicine and he thought the program was a good way to get rid of it.

Lee Ewing of Warren said he likes the environmental aspects because medicine won't be disposed of in the trash and get in a landfill or flushed down a toilet, where it can pollute the water.

''I think it's a good idea,'' Ewing said. ''It keeps the water clean, as well as helping children stay away from drugs.''

Plans are in the works for another giveback on Sept. 29, Orr said.