Pinellas County officials reported Saturday that over 300 pounds of prescription medication was collected at collection points across the county as part of "Operation Medicine Cabinet."
- Saturday was 12th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
- Operation Medicine Cabinet held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- 165 pounds of medication collected by Clearwater Police Department
The county held this latest "Operation Medicine Cabinet" event in partnership with the Live Free! Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Pinellas County. It was timed to coincide with the 12th "National Prescription Drug Take Back Day" across the U.S.
Officials said the operation collected 303.5 pounds of medication at 11 different collection points across the county. Clearwater Police collected the largest portion of that total, hauling in 165 pounds of unused or expired prescription medications from residents who wanted to safely discard them.
Pinellas held the first "Operation Medicine Cabinet" in the county in 2009. It has been a semi-annual event since then.
Here's the breakdown by agency of the amounts of medications collected:
- Pinellas County Sheriff's Office - 45 pounds
- Largo Police Department - 18.5 pounds
- Clearwater Police Department - 165 pounds
- Pinellas Park Police Department - 16 pounds
- Gulfport Police Department - 10 pounds
- St. Petersburg Police Department - 49 pounds
Drop-off containers inside the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Central Station (Largo) and North County District Station (Dunedin) are open year round.