By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
LANDIS ó The Landis Police Department is sponsoring a weekend event where people can get rid of old or unused medications.
Operation Medicine Drop, will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Kingís Quick Stop, 100 W. Ryder Ave.
ěI encourage any citizen either in Landis, Rowan County or Kannapolis who has any unused medicines that are prescribed by a doctor or are over-the-counter to come to our Operation Medicine Drop and we will safely dispose of it,î said Landis Police Officer Brandon Linn.
An average of 127 million prescriptions are filled statewide each year, but as much as 40 percent of those drugs are never used, Linn said.
He said they will accept medicines in any form ó pills, liquids and capsules.
Last year, there were 200 Operation Medicine Drop events throughout the state where 2 million doses were collected.
Linn reminded residents to not flush.
ěWhen they are flushed or thrown away it can contaminate our water source. Such contamination has been found in North Carolina,î he said.
This is the first such event of the year. The department plans to have another Operation Medicine Drop in the fall.
The event is sponsored in partnership with Safe Kids of North Carolina, the North Carolina Department of Insurance, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the State Bureau of Investigation.
Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.