Drug collection event (Photo: Wisconsin DOJ)
Wisconsinites are being urged to check their medicine cabinets, as they do their spring cleaning
This Saturday marks the first statewide Drug Take Back Day of the year, where residents can drop off unused medications at locations across Wisconsin, which will then be safely disposed of. Attorney General Brad Schimel says the main goal of the event is to get prescription painkillers out of homes, where they could potentially be stolen.
Schimel says about 71 percent of the people who abuse prescription painkillers got them from a family or friend, often in cases where the drugs left sitting at home. “So if we can get these things out of people’s homes, we can reduce 71 percent of the people who start abusing those.”
Wisconsin has consistently set records with past take back events, and Schimel says they are hoping to continue that success with this month’s effort. Residents can find locations for Saturday’s events, along with drop-off sites that are open year round, on the state’s “Dose of Reality” website.