Milestone for drug collection

1,000th Walgreens kiosk for medication disposal opens in Vegas

If you need to get rid of old or expired medication, there are now 11 local Walgreens where you can get the chore done.

The company opened its 1,000th medication disposal kiosk nationwide Monday at 4905 W. Tropicana Ave. in Las Vegas. The steel-box kiosks in Walgreens pharmacies are open during store hours for people to drop off unused pills for free, ensuring the active ingredients don’t get into Nevada’s landfills or sewage systems.

Gov. Brian Sandoval, who was on hand for the kiosk’s unveiling, said the disposal boxes also will help curb Nevada’s opioid crisis by keeping drugs out of the wrong hands.

“I’m sure everyone likely knows somebody who has a friend or a family member who has been affected by opioids and opioid overdose,” Sandoval said. “This is truly, I believe, one of the public health crises of our time.”

According to the Centers for Disease

Control’s website, an average of 115 people a day die of opioid overdoses. In 2016, Nevada had the 23rd worst rate of drug overdose deaths out of the 50 states.

Walgreens now has 12 kiosks in Nevada: one in Henderson, nine in Las Vegas, one in North Las Vegas

MEDICATIONS

and one in Reno.

Sandoval said the medications disposed in the kiosks will be destroyed in incinerators the state built with grant money. Prescription or overthe-counter pills are accepted, but liquids, illegal drugs or needles are not.

Richard Ashworth, Walgreens president of operations, said the kiosks across the U.S. have collected more than 270 tons of medications since the program began in 2016. The company plans to open 500 more kiosks.

“A lot has come off of homes and bathrooms all across America,” Ashworth said. “This is safe. This is convenient.”

He said many people don’t properly dispose of medications after they recover from an illness or when a doctor changes their dosage.

“A lot of people think they can throw it in the trash can or maybe flush it down the toilet,” Ashworth said. “But both of those are not recommended. It shows up in the water supply and hurts our environment. It shows up in the landfill and finds its way into other products.”

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.

Benjamin Hager Las Vegas Review-journal @benjaminhphoto Gov. Brian Sandoval greets guests at Walgreens on 4905 W. Tropicana Ave. before a ceremony Monday to mark the opening of the 1,000th safe medication disposal kiosk at Walgreens locations nationwide.

Gov. Brian Sandoval said the medications will be destroyed at incinerators the state built with grant money.

Benjamin Hager Las Vegas Review-journal @benjaminhphoto Gov. Brian Sandoval, left, and Richard Ashworth, president of operations for Walgreens, celebrate the opening of the drugstore chain’s 1,000th safe medication disposal kiosk at a Walgreens in Las Vegas on Monday.