Today, in conjunction with the Jo Story Senior Center for Active Adults, the Roanoke Rapids Police Department added an additional medicine dropbox at the facility located at 701 Jackson Street.

The Story center is part of the parks and recreation department and is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to noon on Friday.

There is also a dropbox located at city hall at 1040 Roanoke Avenue.

Other locations

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Operation Medicine Drop in conjunction with the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators provides funding to law enforcement to place dropboxes in places where the public can easily and safely discard old and unused medicines. 

This program aims to keep unused or expired medications out of the wrong hands and out of water systems by offering people a place to drop off over-the-counter drugs, prescriptions, samples, and pet medications with no questions asked. Only sharps and liquids are not allowed.

Chief Shane Guyant said more than 67,000 children go to an emergency room for medicine poisoning each year, according to a study by Safe Kids Worldwide.

“The opioid epidemic is not only a national crisis but a North Carolina crisis as well,” he said. “An average of four people per day are dying from overdose across the state with 79 percent of those deaths involving some form of opioid.”

Law enforcement will help dispose of the medications in the same secure way they dispose of other drug items — by incinerating them. 

Drugs should not be flushed or thrown away in the garbage because they may contaminate water sources.