Hazelwood Police Department Joins the FDA and DEA in Preventing Pill Abuse, Theft

Hazelwood Residents helped the (HPD) to collect more than 130 pounds of prescription drugs that could have potentially been misused this past week during the National Prescription Drug Take Back event.

“The great response we received from the public to our first Take-Back event not only helped rid homes of potentially harmful prescription drugs, but it gave us an opportunity to educate people about the growing prescription drug abuse problem,” HPD's Sgt. Don Routh, the events supervisor, said. “Studies have shown that, for many, prescription drugs are the very first drugs they abuse, and all too often they aren’t the last.

"That is why the HPD is committed to helping residents keep their homes safe by ridding their medicine cabinets of expired, unused, and unwanted drugs.”

The event occurred April 30 and was a partnership with St. Louis' Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The Hazelwood Police Department took part in this national effort by collecting unused prescription drugs at two locations.  One drop off site was located inside the Hazelwood Police Substation in Neighborhood 3 of the and the other at .  

"The efforts were not only to prevent abuse of prescription drugs, but to help the environment as well," Tony Podorski, an event volunteer, said. "Many people flush old prescription drugs down toilets or rinse them down drains polluting the local water systems which can be very harmful to unsuspecting local residents."  

At both drop off sites in Hazelwood many of the residents who came in were primarily senior citizens that wanted to get rid of old drugs and keep them from grandchildren who may have come across them while visiting their homes. Other individuals dropped off old medications simply to make a difference and help with the prevention of drug abuse in younger people.  

The major problem with many of these prescription drugs is that they contain another drug called opioids, a morphine like drug that is derived from opium, according to ABC News/ Health. Taken for pain, this drug can be very helpful, but if abused, can become addictive and even deadly.  

Once the old prescription drugs were collected at police locations in Hazelwood, the DEA took them to its main office to be destroyed. 

“Preventing these readily available and potentially deadly drugs from being diverted and misused is something each and every one of us can do to help reduce the epidemic of prescription drug abuse that is harming so many Americans,” Sgt. Routh said.

The program is federally funded U S Food and Drug Adminstration grant, which funds he event annually. Last year nationwide Americans turned in more than 242,000 pounds of prescription drugs at nearly 4,100 sites across the country, including the ones in Hazelwood. No word yet on total amounts for this year.