Tulsans Participate In National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

More than 600 pounds of drugs will soon be burned, after being collected during National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

The goal is to show the importance of getting rid of old prescription drugs the right way. Throwing them away or flushing them down the toilet is bad for the environment. Wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove chemicals found in many medications, and these chemicals could discharge into streams if medications aren't disposed of properly.

Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue as well, leading to accidental poisoning, overdose, and abuse. The city says prescription drug overdoses kill more Tulsans ages 25-64 than cars do.

"From a law enforcement standpoint it's just really great that the public can safely dispose of their drugs, they don't end up down the drain and they don't end up in some sort of landfill," said Tulsa Police Cpl. Matt Rose.

Some only dropped off a few bottles, while others cleaned out their medicine cabinets. Drivers pulled into the News On 6 parking lot to get rid of their old medicine prescription and non-prescription.

"Well we used to have some medicine we knew we couldn't throw away and some of it's really old," said Moorea Westfall.

"They're not getting in our environment and I'm not flushing them down the toilet," said Phillip Grice.

Coleman Cox with Think Smart Oklahoma says in the wake of the opioid crisis, it's important to protect yourself and your loved ones.

"No one is immune. The face of addiction has changed, we can't look at somebody and really tell if they're an opioid-dependent person. It's a sneaky addiction and it can happen to anybody," said Cox.

You don't have to wait for an event like this to drop off your old prescriptions. You can stop by the police department or the sheriff's office any day of the year.

This is the 9th year for National Drug Take-Back Day.