The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has a permanent prescription drug drop box located in Town Hall, giving community members an easy way to dispose of their unneeded or unwanted medications.

The drop box got a lot of use over the summer, with locals still making good use of the service. According to a report during the Sept. 2 meeting of the Fountain Hills Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, more than 200 pounds of unwanted/unneeded/expired pills were delivered over the past four months.

MCSO Sergeant Mike Lawson offered recent numbers at the September Coalition meeting, saying 54.4 pounds were dropped off in May, with another 64.4 pounds dropped off in June. July brought another 52 pounds of pills to the drop box, with 59.6 pounds dropped off in August.

Those wishing to use the drop box can visit Town Hall during regular business hours, located at 16705 E. Avenue of the Fountains. The drop box is located in the lobby, next to the MCSO office on the right. Pills should be poured into a sealable bag. No liquids, creams or needles should be included, something Sgt. Lawson stressed in his update. Simply drop the bag of pills into the drop box and you’re done.

The purpose of the drop box is to address a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse.

Rates of prescription drug abuse in Arizona are notably high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Arizonans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines – flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash – both pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information about preventing prescription drug abuse, go to fhcoalition.org.

The next Prescription Drug Take Back Day is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 23. This is the annual big push to encourage everyone to clean out their cabinets and remove potentially harmful drugs from their home. As with last year’s big event, the plan is to host a drive-through drop-off outside of Town Hall. Additional information will be provided closer to the event.