Police in Sylvester set up at Walgreen's Pharmacy for the second annual pill take back event. Last years event was a huge success nationwide and officers were hoping for a similar turn out this year.
"We've had only two people come by and we've had three to boxes that we had to empty, so we are doing really good," Captain White of the Sylvester police department said.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and health, prescription drug abuse in America has now surpassed that of cocaine, hallucinogens and heroine combined And police say that it is a growing problem in south Georgia.
"we are seeing a large increase in the amount of prescription pill abuse. It is becoming one of our biggest problems here,"Sylvester Police Investigator Calvin Cleveland added.
Investigator Cleveland says that it isn't just young people abusing the drugs. He said,"It is widespread from teenagers to the elderly."
Studies have shown that people who abuse these drugs often get them from family, friends, or even the home medicine cabinet. And police say that flushing down the toilet or throwing them in the trash isn't the best way to get rid of them.
"If you flush tablets, a lot of times they won't dissolve, so if you have a septic tank they can build up there, and some people would go to the lengths of trying to get to your septic tank," he said.
While Saturday was the official pill take back day..police encourage those who did not make it out to take them to their local police department. They ask that you call ahead of time so that they can be prepared to put them under lock and key until the DEA can pick them up.
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