FOR HUB CITY TIMES

CLARK COUNTY – The Clark County Sheriff’s Department, along with the Colby/Abby Police Department, will host Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 22, to fight the ongoing opioid epidemic.

The cities of Neillsville, Greenwood and Owen, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

Collection site locations and times in Clark County are as follows: Russell’s of Neillsville parking lot, 1008 E. Division St., Neillsville, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (site monitored by Neillsville Police Department); Wolf’s True Value parking lot, 315 S. Main St., Greenwood, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (site monitored by Clark County Sheriff’s Office); Martin’s Fresh Market parking lot, 707 W. Third St., Owen, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (site monitored by Owen-Withee Police Department).

“Now is a great time to clean out your medicine cabinet and safely dispose of your unwanted or expired medications,” says Attorney General Josh Kaul. “Whether you dispose of unwanted medications at a Drug Take Back event or permanent drug drop box near you, we can each do our part in the fight against the opioid epidemic.”

The effort is intended to bring focus to the issue of prescription pain killer abuse in Wisconsin. Drug Take Back Day provides 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.

Find your nearest drug disposal location: https://doseofrealitywi.gov/drug-takeback/find-a-take-back-location/.

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.

Guidelines

All waste pharmaceuticals must be generated by a household – no businesses are allowed.

Bring: Prescription (controlled and non-controlled) and over-the-counter medications, ointments, patches, inhalers, non-aerosol sprays, creams, vials and pet medications, vape pens or other e-cigarette devices (batteries removed).

Do Not Bring: Illegal drugs, needles/sharps, acids, aerosol cans, bio-hazardous materials (anything containing a bodily fluid or blood), personal care products (shampoo, soaps, lotions, and sunscreens), household hazardous waste (paint, pesticides, oil, gas) and mercury thermometers.

Participants may dispose of solid, non-liquid medication(s) by removing the medication from its container and disposing of it directly into a disposal box or into a clear sealable plastic bag. Plastic pill containers should not be collected. Blister packages without the medications being removed are acceptable.

Liquids will be accepted during this initiative. However, the liquids, creams and sprays must be in their original packaging. Liquids without the original packaging will not be accepted.

Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative and should not be placed in collection containers.

Community members are also reminded that many drug disposal boxes are open year-round at the following locations within Clark County: Thorp Police Department, 300 W. Prospect St., Thorp, M-F 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Loyal Police Department, 301 N. Main St., Loyal, by appointment only; Colby-Abbotsford Police Department, 112 W. Spruce St., Abbotsford, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Clark County Sheriff’s Office, 517 Court St., Neillsville, Monday-Saturday, 5 a.m. – 5 p.m.