On April 25, 2015, local and federal agencies will once again partner together to sponsor the Prescription Drug Round Up event in Washoe County. Since the first event in the fall of 2009, the Round Ups in Washoe County have collected nearly 1.5 million prescription pills. More than 180,000 of those pills were in categories that are commonly diverted and abused, such as painkillers, depressants and stimulants.
Prescription drug abuse has been declared an epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control. Nevada has one of the highest rates in the country of prescription drug overdose deaths – between 2009 and 2011, there were 2,082 prescription drug overdose deaths in Nevada, with 110 of those occurring in Washoe County. A primary factor in this problem is the fact that prescription medications are so readily available, especially to teens, in part because they are accessible in unsuspecting citizens’ unlocked medicine cabinets.
Medications – including household prescription and over the counter pills and liquids – can be dropped off at the Round Up event with no questions asked. Citizens are asked to bring medications in their original containers if possible, and may mark out the patient’s name if they wish. Prescription waste or expired/surplus medications from medical offices or pharmaceutical companies or their representatives are not accepted at this event. In addition, volunteers from Northern Nevada HOPES and the Northern Nevada Outreach Team will be collecting residential sharps and providing information to the community about proper syringe disposal.
Round Up Locations    April 25th     10:00am – 2:00pm:
Raley’s – 18144 Wedge Pkwy
Sam’s Club – 4835 Kietzke Lane
Save Mart – 565 E. Prater Way
Walgreens – 10370 N. McCarran BlvdÂ
CVS – 5151 Sparks Blvd
A map of the Prescription Drug Round Up locations is available here: Prescription Drug Round Up – Site Map
Citizens are also encouraged to join in the fight against prescription drug abuse and overdose by responsibly handling their medications in the future. Medications should be kept in a secure, locked location so that they cannot be accessed by anyone other than the patient they are prescribed to. Sharing or selling of prescription medications not only extremely dangerous, it is also illegal. By reducing the available supply of prescription drugs for abuse, we can save lives in our community.
For those not able to make it to the Round-Up event, permanent prescription drug drop boxes are available at local police departments. Law enforcement would like to remind the community that these drop boxes only accept pills; they do not accept liquids or needles. For information about how to dispose of needles, please contact Northern Nevada HOPES at 786-4673.
The drug drop boxes are available during regular business hours at the following locations:
- Reno Police Department – 455 E. 2nd Street, Reno
- Sparks Police Department – 1701 East Prater Way, Sparks
- Washoe County Sheriff’s Office – 911 Parr Blvd., Reno
Additional information on the proper disposal of unused or unwanted prescription drugs can be located atwww.jtnn.org. If you have any questions regarding the Round-Up event or the drop boxes, you are encouraged to call Stacy Ward, Prevention & Education Coordinator for the Reno Police Department at 657-4794.
