Sheriff’s Department Hosts Day for Safe Drug Disposal

To counter study results from July 2008 that showed a rise in accidental overdoses and other medication mistakes, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department announced Thursday, April 16, to be Wise Use of Medications Day. From 9 a.m. to noon at the Goleta Valley Seniors Center, the public can anonymously bring in their outdated and unused medications for proper collection and disposal.

Unattended and improperly disposed medicines can contaminate water supplies, be accidentally ingested, and be used illegally. “Recent studies have indicated that one in five teenagers has abused prescription medication that they get from a parent or grandparent’s medicine cabinet,” said Sheriff’s spokesperson Drew Sugars, in a press release.

The Sheriff’s Department, along with the Goleta Valley Seniors Center, American Association of Retired Persons, Sansum Clinic, and Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care, hope that Wise Use of Medications Day will help reduce these hazards.

The Goleta Valley Senior Center is located at 5679 Hollister Avenue. Appointments for a medication review with a pharmacist can also be made by calling 683-1124.