Drug drop-offs working well

That is a lot of drugs. Which could have ended up in the wrong hands, or on the street. People in Wisconsin were clearly eager to properly dispose of expired or unneeded prescription drugs. The state’s April Drug Take Back Day collected more than 66,000 pounds of unused medications. That is a new record in Wisconsin, which is leading the way for gathering these drugs. More law enforcement agencies participated in the event in Wisconsin than in any other state. 267 police agencies and 69 sheriff’s offices took part. This provided a way for people to conveniently and anonymously dispose of their unused medications in an environmentally friendly way. That is important, because statistics show that a majority, 70%, of painkiller abuse begins when friends or family improperly obtain them. In addition to the take back days, Wisconsin also has a number of permanent drug disposal drop boxes, more than all but three other states. And we have seen tremendous use of the new needle drop boxes which have been set up in La Crosse. More than 9000 dirty needles were collected in just three weeks, and firefighters have seen a marked drop in calls of dirty needles littering our playgrounds since those new boxes were installed. Those behind the efforts deserve praise for their work to helping keep our communities safe.