Don’t Flush; Drop Them Off. Medicines Can Kill!

CEDAR RAPIDS – The Eastern Iowa Heroin Prevention/ Treatment/ Enforcement Initiative is a partnership between the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office in Cedar Rapids.  The goal of the initiative is to stem the tide of heroin supply and use affecting Eastern Iowa.  It is widely accepted that the goal cannot be reached by solely focusing on prosecuting drug traffickers.  Prevention and treatment efforts must also be enhanced and engaged to reduce the demand for highly addictive and dangerous opioids.

The Eastern Iowa Heroin Initiative operates with funding from the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), which secured funding to dedicate a police officer to coordinate regional partnerships. 

Federal, State and local law enforcement are working with medical, prevention, treatment and public health leaders to encourage Iowa families to clean out medicine cabinets and safely rid their homes of unwanted and expired prescription medications.  Unused prescription drugs in homes create a public health and safety concern because the medications can be accidentally ingested, stolen, misused, and abused.  Drop-off boxes provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of prescription drug disposal.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office together with the Coralville, University Heights and Waterloo Police Departments join in this effort by offering drop-off boxes at their locations, which will be securely maintained and available to the public around the clock.  There are two webpage links that can be used to search for the nearest law enforcement based drop-box.  The National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators webpage can be found at: http://rxdrugdropbox.org/. The Iowa Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy features a map of sites and can be accessed at: http://www.iowa.gov/odcp/drug_information/takebacks.html. The goal is to have one box in every Iowa County.

Why Are Drop-Off Boxes Important?

The most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows prescription medicines to be the most abused drugs by Americans other than marijuana.  Seven of the 10 drugs most commonly abused by teenagers are prescription medicines.  One in 10 teens has used Vicodin non-medically.  Almost three-fourths of teen prescription drug abusers get the drugs from family and friends.  The home medicine cabinet is a major source.  These medicines should not be thrown in the trash where others can find them.

Prescription drugs containing controlled substances are being misused and abused at alarming rates in America today, leading to cases of accidental poisoning, overdose, and addiction.  A major factor contributing to their increased usage is their availability in the home medicine cabinet. In many cases, medicines containing controlled substances remain in the home medicine cabinet long after therapy has been completed, thus making these drugs easily accessible to others who would misuse or abuse them.

Why?  Two-thirds of all teenagers who abuse prescription narcotics first obtain the drugs from family and friends.  Parents and grandparents can help keep their kids safe.  Start by assessing and securing the prescription narcotics in your home.  Unneeded prescription narcotics should be disposed of in a safe manner and parents need to talk with their kids about the dangers of abusing prescription narcotics.

“We are urging all Iowans to safely dispose of prescription drugs. When prescription drugs, especially opiates, fall into the wrong hands, they are extremely dangerous and even deadly,” said United States Attorney Northern District of Iowa, Kevin W. Techau.  “That's why we are urging the public to take some time to sort through their medicine cabinets and safely dispose of any unneeded medications at nearby take-back locations as soon as possible.”

Drop boxes are free, and the program is entirely anonymous.  The public is urged to turn in their unused, unwanted, unneeded medicine, no questions asked. 

Only pills and other solid prescriptions, such as patches, can be disposed of at a collection site. Liquids and needles will not be accepted          

To learn more about local initiatives to combat the drug threat go to Eastern Iowa Heroin Initiative on Facebook. A list of area drop-boxes is attached. area_drop-box_locations.pdf (61.6 KB)

Special thanks to the Johnson County Postmaster, Stacy St. John, for donating four unused mailboxes for this purpose along with Banacom Signs & Designs for the graphic work, and Cassill Collison Center for painting the boxes.

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