Sevierville Diverts 187 Pounds of Drugs From Going Down the Drain

Posted May 8, 2017

City of Sevierville Police Department volunteers and staff spent Saturday, April 29 collecting unwanted drugs from residents at the annual Hazardous Household Waste Day event at the City complex.

All told, 187 pounds of unwanted drugs were collected, helping avoid misuse and improper disposal into wastewater and landfill space. "The Drug Take Back program has been a great success," said SPD Chief Don Myers. "We will continue to offer collection of unwanted drugs at periodic events and at the department."

In addition to dropping-off drugs at scheduled events, citizens may drop-off drugs at the SPD Drug Take Back receptacle any time or day of the week. The service is free and anonymous. The following drugs are accepted:  *All loose pills and powders.  *Liquid drugs are only accepted in sealed packaging.  *Sealed drugs and aids (i.e. diabetic supplies, meters, etc.)  The department is unable at this time to accept syringes or other types of drug paraphernalia. Anyone with questions may contact Lt. Ken Garner at 865.868.1753 or by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Many people are unaware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. According to the DEA, rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away, both potential safety and health hazards. Municipal water systems are not able to properly filter many medications, which sometimes leads to the presence of medications in tap water.  Traces of prescription medications have also been detected in streams and other ground water sources