Havre Police Department Acting Chief of Police Gabe Matosich opens the slot of the Operation Medicine Cabinet Prescription Drop Off bin Tuesday afternoon at the police department. The slot was installed at the police department about two weeks ago for residents to have 24-hour access to get rid of their prescription drug medications safely. Matosich said about twice a month, the prescription medications will be weighed and each quarter he will report to the state the amounts of different medications that were collected. Then the medications will be incinerated.
For anyone in town with overflowing medicine cabinets, the Havre Police Department is here to help.
The department set up a box in the lobby of its 4th Street headquarters, now labeled, where people can drop off prescription drugs that they don’t need anymore, including over-the-counter drugs but excluding liquids and syringes.
Havre’s Acting Police Chief Gabe Matosich said Tuesday the box should help a lot of people.
“I hope everybody utilizes it, ” Matosich said. “I know it’s a great way to clean out your cabinets and get rid of all that stuff. It can all be properly destroyed rather than ending up in the water system or the landfill. ”
Other than being convenient, Matosich said the program should help with its original goal, to curb the state and nation’s presciption drug abuse problems.
“Prescription abuse is so high right now we see people breaking into homes, and all they’re looking for is medications, ” Matosich said.
The box is actually the result of a larger program, called Operation Medicine Cabinet, based in Attorney General Steve Bullock’s office.
That program has scheduled days when medications can be dropped off and tours the state in a portable disposal bus.
Matosich said that, after the number of medications picked up during the last collection day, Havre put up a full-time box, just inside the door of the police department, where medications can be dropped off 24 hours a day.
