Sheriff’s office provides way to dispose of medications

EAGLE RIVER — It may be time to clean out your medicine cabinet.

The Keweenaw County Sheriff’s Office is now providing a safe and environmentally-conscious way for residents to rid of unwanted, unused or expired medications. Thanks to funds from CVS Health’s Medication Disposal Unit for Safer Communities Program, the Sheriff’s Office now has a medication disposal unit.

“People can turn in their old, unused prescription medication which, in turn, helps us keep these medications out of the wrong hands,” said Keweenaw County Sheriff Bill Luokkanen. “When drugs are left where they’re at, children, house guests or what have you could possibly get into the medication and take it without having a use for it.”

The Sheriff hopes that this new drug collection box will decrease the potential for prescription drug abuse by offering people an opportunity to get rid of these medicines.

“I just want to let everybody know that they can drop off medications at anytime. Our normal office hours are from 9 to 5, but if they want to drop off something not during that time frame, all they have to do is call the Sheriff’s office at 337-0528 and a deputy will meet them here and let them dispose of their medications,” said Sheriff Luokkanen.

Acceptable items for collection include prescription pills, patches, over-the-counter medications, and vitamins. For safety reasons, sharps, liquids, inhalers, aerosols, lotions and ointments will not be accepted.