MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Attorney General Brad Schimel and Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales are hosting, in partnership with Safe & Sound, Inc. and Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, a special Drug Take Back event for the community and area commuters from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 23 at the corner of Kilbourn Avenue and 3rd Street. Drug Take Back is a community event that helps fight the opioid epidemic by preventing misuse and abuse of prescription painkillers and other pharmaceuticals through the collection of unwanted medications, both prescription and over the counter. National Drug Take Back Day is October 27.
“There is a direct line between what’s in your medicine cabinet, and the opioid epidemic,” said Attorney General Schimel. “We know that more than two thirds of people who have abused prescription painkillers first got them illegally from a friend or family member. If you don’t need those pills or meds, get them out of your medicine cabinet and to a drug disposal location. Just bring them by on your commute on Tuesday morning.”
“The Milwaukee Police Department is honored to be a part of this event,” said Milwaukee Police Department Chief Alfonso Morales. “Prescription painkillers can easily become illegally used opioids if placed in the wrong hands. We cannot stress enough the importance of properly disposing unused and unwanted prescription drugs and want to thank our partners with the Wisconsin Department of Justice.”
Drug Take Back events provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the community about the potential abuse and consequences of improper storage and disposal of these medications.
On Tuesday, October 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., anyone can bring their unused or unwanted medications to the corner of Kilbourn Avenue and 3rd Street in Milwaukee, in front of the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee. Law enforcement will be on site to help citizens dispose of medications, both prescription and over the counter. It will not even be necessary for people dropping off medications to park or exit their car. A drive-thru drug disposal will be set up along the road.
Unused or expired medicine should never be flushed or poured down the drain. Water reclamation facilities are not designed to remove all of them and trace amounts of pharmaceuticals are showing up in rivers and lakes.
Since 2015, Wisconsinites have disposed of over 400,000 pounds of unused and unwanted medications; and the state has been a national leader in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) drug disposal program. Repeatedly, Wisconsin had more law enforcement agencies participate in the biannual event than any other state in the country. And, Wisconsin has repeatedly had the third largest drug disposal collections in the country, only falling behind California and Texas.
More Drug Take Back events will be held across Milwaukee County and Wisconsin on Saturday, October 27. Many drug disposal boxes are also available year-round at law enforcement agencies across the state.
In partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the DEA, 300 local law enforcement agencies will be participating in Drug Take Back Day. This effort will continue to bring focus to the issues prescription painkiller abuse and the opioid epidemic cause in Wisconsin.
To find a Drug Take Back Location near you, go to: www.doseofrealitywi.gov/find-a-take-back-location/.
