Drug dropbox placed at APD

Disposing of prescription and over the counter medications just got easier in Atlanta. On Thursday, a dropbox was placed inside the main entrance of the Atlanta Police Department on Allday Street, which can be accessed 24/7 by pressing the buzzer outside by the door.

This is the 17th drop box installed in East Texas by Next Step Community Solutions, the parent nonprofit of the Northeast Texas Substance Misuse Coalition. It is the second dropbox to be located in Cass County – the first being at the Sheriff ’s office in Linden.

“The drop boxes we have installed with law enforcement have prevented millions of pills from being abused in East Texas,” said Nathan Grounds, coalition coordinator for the Northeast Texas Coalition Against Substance Abuse (NETCASA). “We are so thankful that the community is willing to do its part and safely dispose of their unneeded medication.”

The drop boxes that have been installed in the coalition area have collected 594 pounds in the last year, Grounds said. Law enforcement regularly empties the drop box and either incinerates the drugs themselves or coordinates with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

According to the most recent Texas School Survey, there has been a 34 percent drop in the last two years of prescription drug abuse among 7-12th graders who said they took a drug not prescribed to them in the last 30 days. The was another 31 percent drop over the two years before that.

“We have an aging population here in town, of people over 65 whose prescriptions change regularly so it’s always a challenge to figure out what to do with old medicines,” said Atlanta Mayor Travis Ransom. “Not only is it important to keep them out of the hands of children, but we need to keep them out of our water supply, because when drugs are flushed down the toilet they get in our water supply. We treat for organic – we don’t treat for inorganic chemicals so it can really be a problem.”

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more than half of those who abuse prescription drugs say they get them from friends and family. One of the top calls to poison control is about children and pets who accidentally ingest leftover medication that has been thrown in the trash. Currently, Texarkana – less than 30 miles to the North – is ranked 10 in the nation for opioid overdose.

“I came up here this morning because it’s important for the city and the county to have these tools available to them. As Nathan was saying, the beauty of it is that it’s anonymous. People can drop off their unused, expired medications, and we’re not going to go sifting through it to figure out who left what. No questions asked. We will dispose of all of it in an environment-friendly way,” said Eduardo A. Chavez, Special Agent in Charge - Dallas Field Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“What I think is important for Atlanta and Cass County to know, is that the fentanyl threat we have all heard of is very real. In this part of the country it comes through counterfeit prescription drugs,” Agent Chavez continued. “Drugs that look like hydrocodone, xanax and such. 42% of your prescription drugs contain fentanyl – that means two out of five pills contain a potential lethal dose (2 milligrams).”

Joining Grounds, Chavez and Ransom at the ribbon cutting ceremony was Cass County Judge Becky Wilbanks, Sheriff Larry Rowe and Miranda Johnson of the Chamber of Commerce.

“We know that disposal of prescription drugs is so important for keeping them from falling into the wrong hands, and can prevent other kinds of related crimes,” said Atlanta Police Chief Robin Betts. “We are so pleased to partner with the Northeast Texas Coalition Against Substance Abuse on this initiative.”