SATUCI works with many coalitions in Marshall, Hardin, Poweshiek and Tama counties to help area communities address substance use and problem gambling. These coalitions are the driving force to helping effect community change to support healthy behaviors. Many coalition members have gained knowledge about the issues and related problems of substance use and problem gambling and have helped mobilize their communities to work toward reducing alcohol and drug use.
Activities conducted by these coalitions include:
- Increasing community awareness of substance use issues
- Working to encourage positive substance use/abuse policy changes both locally and statewide
- Promoting positive activities for youth development and volunteerism
- Reducing youth access to substances such as tobacco and alcohol
Prescription Drug Drop Off Program
There are easy drop off locations in Marshall, Hardin, Poweshiek and Tama counties:
- Marshalltown Police Department entryway
- Marshall County Sheriff’s Office lobby
- Hardin County Sheriff’s Office lobby
- Iowa Falls Police Department lobby
- Tama County Sheriff’s Office
- Grinnell Police Department
Safe disposal of unwanted, expired and unused medications helps prevent crime, drug abuse and accidental poisoning and protects the environment by not polluting the water supply.
This is an anonymous service and no contact with law enforcement is needed.
Drop off boxes are checked daily and contents are collected and prepared for disposal in an eco-friendly way and in accordance with federal and state laws
How to dispose of prescriptions at drop off locations:
- Remove labels with identifying information from containers before disposal to help protect the privacy of the person’s health information.
- Make sure caps are on tightly.
- Deposit containers in the drop off boxes.
What is not accepted at drop boxes:
- Needles, liquid, biohazard items should not be deposited into the drug boxes
- Ointments, creams, non-aerosol sprays, vials and pen medications
If you can’t get to a drop off location:
- Take your prescription drugs out of their original containers.
- Conceal or remove any personal information including prescription number on the empty containers by covering it with black permanent marker or by scratching it off.
- Crush and mix drugs with undesirable substances such as cat litter or used coffee grounds.
- Put mixture in a sealable bag or a disposable container with a lid to prevent medication from leaking out of a trash bag.
- Place the sealed container with the mixture and the empty drug containers in the trash.
- When in doubt, contact your local pharmacy, SATUCI, Police Department or Sheriff’s Department.
Why drop off?
- Good way to combat and prevent prescription drug abuse.
- Unused, unwanted or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue, leading to accidental poisoning, overdose, and abuse.
- Unused prescription drugs thrown in the trash can be retrieved and abused or illegally sold.
- Unused drugs that are flushed contaminate the water supply. Proper disposal of unused drugs saves lives and protects the environment.
- Pharmaceutical drugs can be just as dangerous as street drugs when taken without a prescription or a doctor’s supervision.
- The non-medical use of prescription drugs ranks second only to marijuana as the most common form of drug abuse in America.
- The majority of teenagers abusing prescription drugs get them from family and friends – and the home medicine cabinet.
Questions? Call SATUCI or any local Law Enforcement agency for more information.