Operation Medicine Cabinet - Rogers County...

Update:  Operation Medicine Cabinet was a tremendous success.  A special thanks to everyone who came out to dispose of their old and unwanted prescriptions.  If you have old, unwanted prescriptions and missed the collection date you can still take them to the Claremore Police Department where a receptacle has been installed to collect your pill bottles.  

Claremore - The Rogers County Sheriff's Office, in coordination with the Claremore Police Department, Healthy Community Partnership and the NeMar Shopping Center in Claremore, has engaged in "Operation Medicine Cabinet."  Operation Medicine Cabinet is a program that allows the community to have a safe place to dispose of prescription medication. 

"We Want Your Drugs" is the caption of the flyers advertising the event which is also becoming known as the Rogers County "Drug Dump."  The event is one day only. 

"It's not always the illegal drugs that shatter lives, sometimes it's the medicine found in everyday medicine cabinets that lead to catastrophe," said Sheriff Scott Walton.

Recent media reports have described the powerful dangers of prescription drug abuse by teenagers. Law enforcement agencies such as the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs and the United States Drug Enforcement Agency are warning the public of the increasing trend of prescription drug abuse. "The public still isn't as aware as we need them to be," says Sheriff Walton.  "Most people either never even consider the possibility or don't want to think that their children would sneak into the medicine cabinet and take their medications. It's hard to think about as a parent."  Walton also described the lengths addicted persons will go to in order to obtain the medications they are addicted to.  "They [addicted persons] will go as far as to break their own bones in order to get prescriptions for drugs like Lortab," he said.  Walton said that an addicted friend or family member would hardly think twice about taking medications from someone's medicine cabinet.  "They can't help themselves so it's up to us to make certain we're not the ones making the drugs available."

People who have old, expired or unneeded prescriptions in their homes can bring the medications to the NeMar shopping center on Saturday, July 25th from 9 AM to 1 PM and turn them over to law enforcement.  The police officers and sheriff's deputies at the event will issue each person a receipt for the drugs. 

For more information or for a sponsorship opportunity please contact the Healthy Community Partnership at (918) 260-0301 the Claremore POlice Department at (918) 341-1212 or the Rogers County Sheriff's Office at (918) 341-3535.