New drug disposal box installed

Thanks to a grant from CVS/pharmacy, the Pea Ridge Police Department has installed a Drug Collection Unit at the police department. The unit will provide residents with a safe and environmentally responsible way to dispose of unwanted, unused or expired medication, including controlled substances, according to Police Chief Ryan Walker.

The new unit is intended to reduce the amount of unneeded medicine in residents’ homes and decrease prescription drug abuse, which has soared in recent years, especially among teenagers. More than 70 percent of teenagers say it is easy to get prescription drugs from their parents’ medicine cabinets, according to a 2014 Partnership for Drug-Free Kids study.

It will also help Pea Ridge prevent the contamination of local landfills and water supplies from unused medication.

“Safely disposing of unused

medication is critical to protecting our children and our environment,” Walker said. “Pea Ridge is proud to partner with CVS/pharmacy and we thank them for their commitment to help residents reduce the amount of unneeded medicine in our community.”

Pea Ridge’s new Drug Collection Unit site is open to the public 24 hours a day 7 days a week and drugs can be dropped off with no questions asked. Pea Ridge residents and CVS/ pharmacy customers can also inquire about the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program at the toll free phone number 1-866-559-8830 or visit www.cvs.com/safercommunities.

Photograph courtesy of Pea Ridge Police Dept. Wesley Henson of the Pea Ridge Street Department installs the new secure box for receiving unwanted prescription medications.