The IU Southeast Police Department and Floyd County Police Department have teamed up to not just serve and protect the public, but to serve and protect the environment with the Drug Drop Off Program.

The purpose of this program is to help keep unused opiate medications out of medicine cabinets and off the streets.  This keeps the production and dealing of heroin out of the hands of  young children.

Executive Director Meribeth Adams’wolf with Our Place Inc. said there were originally two drop offs: one at the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department and one at Baptist Health Hospital in Floyd County. With the new drug drop off box at IU Southeast, it makes things more convenient for people who are trying to get rid of their prescription drugs in the area.

Adams’wolf said that mental health and addictions in Floyd County have had a largely negative impact in the area from the opiates that are     given out and sold and that is why the new drug drop off box was put into place at IU Southeast.

Adams’wolf said that, with the rise of heroin and the increasing number of high schoolers getting involved with the drug and making it easier to possess, adding another drug drop off at a local university was a place with easy access to get rid of these opioids.

Charles Edelen, chief of police at IU Southeast, explained the process where the drugs are destroyed.

“The Floyd County Sheriff’s Department comes by and picks them up once a week.  They are destroyed in a 55-gallon drum that has a forced-air furnace attachment. This completely destroys the drugs,” Edelen said.

These drugs can often cause problems when the water mixes with the chemicals inside the drugs when they are flushed down the toilet. The drop off is a safe alternative.

“It provides a safe way to dispose of unused/unwanted prescription drugs.  They can rest assured they will be disposed of properly,” Edelen said. “Often, people have flushed these items down the toilet. This causes environmental issues with the ground water.”

If you are a student or faculty member on campus and have some extra prescription drugs that you need to get rid of, drop by the IU Southeast Police Department and they will take your prescription drugs to the Floyd County Police Department where they can properly be placed. The IU Southeast Police Department is open 24-hours a day.

Here is a list of prescription drugs that can be considered opioids:

• Hydrocodone

• Oxycodone

• Methadone

• Codeine

• Hydromorphone

• Fentanyl