Brief: Sheriff’s Office Collects 300 Gallons Of Prescription Drugs

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that it collected 300 gallons of unused prescription drugs during an April 30 “Take-Back” campaign.

The sheriff’s office worked in partnership with Washington County Public Health and Environment in an effort to gather “potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs” for destruction, according to a release. The event was held at the . The service was free and anonymous—no questions asked.

During the campaign, three 100-gallon barrels were filled with prescription drugs, the release says.

Among the more commonly abused prescription controlled substances, authorities collected approximately:

• 1,100 grams of Oxycodone/Percocet
• 1,800 grams of Hydrocodone/Vicodin
• 550 grams of Amphetamine/Adderall
• 650 grams of Codeine

(A copy of the entire list of controlled substances is available by checking out the PDF with this story.)

“These past and future events will help make our communities safer,” reads the release from the sheriff’s office.

Another event is planned for the fall of 2011 and will be announced closer to the anticipated date.

According to the sheriff’s office, the initiative addressed “a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines left in homes are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, theft, and abuse."

Prescription drug abuse in the U.S. is increasing, according to the release, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.