Each jurisdiction participating in the Ohio Prescription Drug Drop Box Program is required to report to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, the amount of prescription drugs collected. Below are the total amounts in pounds collected from some of our local jurisdictions since the program began.
• 311.18 pounds - Beavercreek
• 184.52 pounds - Vandalia
• 159 pounds - Dayton
• 137 pounds from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, as of April 15. No totals available prior to that date, according to the AG’s office.
• 130.28 pounds - Eaton
•107.83 pounds - Miami University Police
•101.58 pounds - Brookville
• 89 pounds - Butler Township
• 57.4 pounds - Enon
• 46.4 pounds - Xenia
• 27.26 pounds - Franklin
Local prescription drug drop-off locations
• Dayton Police have four drop-off locations - Central Patrol Operations Division, 248 Salem Ave; East Patrol Operations Division, 2721 Wayne Ave.; West Patrol Operations Division, 951 Washington St., and the Safety Building, 335 W. Third St.
• Brookville Police Dept., 301 Sycamore St.
• Butler Township Police Dept., 3510 Sudachi Drive. Building is open 24 hours.
• Vandalia Police Dept., 245 Bohanan Drive
• Huber Heights Police Dept., 6121 Taylorsville Road.
• Miami Township Police Dept., 2660 Lyons Road
• German Township Police Dept., 12102 Ohio 725 W.
• Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, 345 W. Second St.
• Beavercreek Police Dept., 1388 Research Park Drive. Go to the second floor. Building is open 24 hours.
• Central State University Police Dept., 1400 Brush Row Road in Wilberforce.
• Greene County Sheriff's Office, 120 E. Main St in Xenia.
• Fairborn Police Dept., 70 W. Hebble Ave.
• Franklin Police Dept., 400 Anderson St.
• Miami University Police Dept., 4945 Oxford-Trenton Road
• Enon Police Dept., 363 East Main St.
• Preble County Sheriff's Office, 1139 Preble Dr.
• Eaton Police Dept., 328 N. Maple St.
• West Alexandria Police Dept., 73 N. Main St.
• New Paris Police Dept., 301 W. Cherry St.
• Greenville Police Dept., 122 W. Main St.
Drug Take Back Day is Oct. 26. Citizens are encouraged to drop off their unwanted prescription medications to drop-off boxes in their own jurisdictions.
A state program designed to prevent the abuse of prescription drugs seems to be a success, according to local law enforcement officials.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office oversees the program, which is called the Ohio Prescription Drug Drop Box Program, in partnership with the Ohio Department of Health and the Drug Free Action Alliance.
There are 65 law enforcement agencies across the state participating in the program, according to the AG’s office. These agencies are given a white drop-off box — about the size of a mailbox — for their residents to use to discard their prescription medications anonymously. The drugs are then collected periodically and destroyed at no cost to the jurisdictions.
The boxes do not accept liquids, needles or inhalers.
“We believe the program has been successful in complimenting the various Drug Take Back Days held throughout the year,” said Dan Tierney, spokesman for the AG’s office. “The results show that Ohioans are taking advantage of the locations and turning in unused medications year-round.”
Brookville Police Chief Doug Jerome said the program has had a huge impact on his city.
“Every quarter since we’ve done it, we’ve had an increase in poundage,” Jerome said. “The only cost to us is our time in dealing with the medications, but we feel it’s worth it. We’re keeping them off the streets. We’re keeping them out of the water supply. We couldn’t be happier with the program.”
He said he goes to a local nursing home to collect unwanted prescription drugs and place them in the drop-off box.
"So many times, doctors when they write these scripts for people, they end up changing them 30 days later, while some people may have bought a 90-day supply," Jerome said.
Dayton Police has four drop-off boxes installed at each of the department’s districts, according to Sgt. Gary Lowe of the Major Case and Pharmaceutical Investigations division.
“We don’t want that medication to be stolen or dumped down the toilet to be flushed,” said Dayton Police Maj. Dave Wolford.
East Patrol Operations Division headquarters on Wayne Avenue appears to get the most collections, according to Lowe. “Probably because of the location. They are on a main street and they’re pretty visible. They are close to 10 Wilmington Place,” Wolford said.
About the Author