ARCHIVES

ARCHIVES

Deputies collect piles of old pills

By Raiza Canelon / Staff Writer / rcanelon@syvnews.com

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Senior Deputy Charlie Uhrig and volunteer Gary Waer sort through dropped off medications during Operation Medicine Cabinet at the Sana Ines Mission parking lot. The campaign is an effort to stem youth abuse of pharmaceuticals, reduce drug-induced medical emergencies while helping to keep our water supply free of pollution.//Bryan Walton/Staff

More than 80 pounds of unused or outdated medications were dropped off Tuesday afternoon at Old Mission Santa Ines in Solvang.

The Valley locale marked the sixth and final collection site for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department’s “Operation Medicine Cabinet” campaign that began in early October.

In all, more than 1,200 pounds have been collected for disposal, according to Community Resource Deputy Charlie Uhrig.

“Every event has been successful thus far and we are hoping more residents become aware they shouldn’t dump chemicals down drains or throw away in the trash,” said Senior Deputy Kathi LeGault.

In addition to drug abuse, there has been confusion about how and where to dispose of medications. Old methods included flushing medications down the toilet, but it’s not recommended because it can lead to water pollution, according to County Public Works.

LeGault said each Sheriff’s Department station in Santa Barbara County will have a permanent secured drop boxes for expired and unused medications now that the countywide operation ended.

“We put all our medications in a safe and high location, but you never know what could happen. I am glad there will be permanent disposal locations,” said Angela McClurg, of Los Alamos.

Dr. Debbie Weinstein of the Santa Maria Marian Medical Center came to the drop off location to help sort through the medications for destruction.

“There were roughly 20 cases of youths between the ages of 14 to 18 years old in the Santa Ynez Valley in 2008, who overdosed on prescription medication or alcohol,” Weinstein said.

She added that cleaning out the cabinets could help parents keep drugs out of the hands of teens.

For locations or more in-formation about disposing of old prescriptions visit the www.sbsheriff.org or www.LessisMore.org.

November 24, 2009