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Kansas City Police Department filled their trucks to the brim April 30 during the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
Kansas City Police Department partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration to allow citizens to dispose of their unwanted prescription drugs. The event served as an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding homes of potentially dangerous prescription drugs.
Central Patrol reported collecting 12 trash bags and 11 boxes full of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.
On site pharmaceutical students estimated the collection’s value at $500,000.
“Besides the volume, we took a lot of powerful pain killers off the street that are in high demand from illegal prescription use,” said Master Patrol Officer James Schriever of Central Patrol. “We also received the label of ‘most unique site’ as we had a prescription turned in that was issued in 1975 that was a derivative of opium (our pharmacy students weren’t even born in 1975 or 1985, either) and two great residents from Weston, Mo., brought in a pickup truck bed full of medications. The driver joked she did not go one mile an hour over the speed limit on her trip here. Can you imagine that explanation to the officer if she would have been stopped?”
Last September, Americans turned in 242,000 pounds – 121 tons – of prescription drugs at nearly 4,100 sites operated by the DEA and more than 3,000 state and local law enforcement partners, including KCPD.
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