Many Americans have old or expired medications sitting around the house, and law enforcement officials say that can be a prescription for danger.
As part of a national effort to round up those unwanted drugs, Demetra Ashley with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency says sites around Wisconsin will be collecting old medications this weekend.
Ashley says several police departments across the state will be running drop-off points on Saturday, where the public can anonymously turn in their old medications to be incinerated. She says it’s the only safe way to really dispose of them, because throwing them in the trash can be an invitation to thieves or result in them ending up in water supplies.
Ashley says keeping old prescription drugs around the house can be dangerous, especially if young children are around. There have been a growing number of cases where kids have taken the drugs for recreational use or illegally sold them. Medicine cabinets can also be targeted by thieves.