Lee County ‘pill drop’ nets more than 112 pounds of meds

LEESBURG — As part of the Great American Cleanup, Leesburg city Police and Lee County Code Enforcement recently processed and properly disposed of 112.7 pounds of unused or unwanted prescription medication, over the counter medicine, vitamins, human supplements and illegal drugs.

Proper collection and disposal of these drugs prevents them from entering the environment or being misused or sold on the street, officials said. Drugs should never been tossed in the trash or flushed down a sink or toilet where they can poison the water of the local environment.

These drugs were collected over the past year at the Leesburg Police Station or by pick-up (for large quantities) from Lee County Code Enforcement. Drop-offs or pick-ups are accepted with no questions asked. Prescription and personal information on the dropped-off containers also are destroyed.

This year’s collection included more than 50 prescription fentanyl patches intended for chronic pain management; however, these drugs and other pain medications can be illegally sold and used if not turned in for proper disposal.

While medicines are collected, delivery systems like catheters, IVs, syringes or other medical apparatus are not accepted as part of this collection.

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